Escape
by kisshuismylife
Summary: Kisshu was put in jail for killing Deep Blue, but two years later, he manages to escape, and teleports to Ichigo. This is a one-shot, with an interesting twist that you'll have to read to find out! *No longer a one-shot*
1. Escape

**Escape**

"Get back here!"

"There's nowhere to run!"

Kisshu half-listened as he tried to think. He had been put in jail on his home planet for killing Deep Blue, and he had just managed to escape. Suddenly an idea occurred to him, and he leaped into the air, then used the last of his strength to teleport.

_**On Earth: **_Ichigo sighed. It had been two years since Kisshu left, and it was getting harder to deal with. _What happened to him? _she wondered. She couldn't shake the sense that something was wrong.

Suddenly Ichigo heard a noise behind her that she had been hoping to hear for two years- teleportation. She spun- and her happiness was replaced by shock and worry. Kisshu was standing behind her, but he was seriously beat up, not to mention even thinner than the last time she saw him. On top of that, he looked exhausted. "Kisshu, what happened?" Ichigo asked worriedly, going over to him.

She was just in time to catch him as he collapsed. She was shocked to feel how light he was, but pushed that aside and carried him over to her bed. She gently set him down, and took off his boots, noticing his clothes were worn out. She put a hand on his forehead, and sighed. He didn't have a fever. Ichigo ran to the bathroom, and got alcohol, a washcloth, and bandages, then took them back to her room. She sat down next to Kisshu, and started cleaning the many injuries he had.

When she finished, she started bandaging the injuries, and when that was done, Ichigo tucked Kisshu into her bed, and sat down to wait for him to wake up.

_**Three days later: **_Ichigo was worried sick. Kisshu hadn't even stirred. He didn't have a fever, but he wasn't waking up, and Ichigo had tried everything she could think of. Currently it was about 4 in the afternoon, and Ichigo was still sitting next to Kisshu. She was now on the verge of tears, and it wasn't long before she started crying.

An hour later, she was still crying when she heard a soft groan, and looked up, hopeful. Kisshu appeared to be stirring, and Ichigo asked softly, "Kisshu?"

Kisshu slowly opened his eyes, and turned his head. "Koneko-chan?" he asked, his voice weak. "Where am I?"

"In my room," Ichigo said. "You've been out for three days. What happened to you, Kisshu?"

"They put me in jail for killing Deep Blue, and I escaped," Kisshu said. "But teleporting from Cyniclonia to Earth took everything I had. I'm not sure if they'll come after me, but if they do, we're in trouble. I won't be able to fight for a while; I drained all my energy to get this far. I'm sorry to put this on you, but I really need your help, Ichigo."

"I'll do everything I can," Ichigo said without hesitation. "And you can live here now."

"Really?" Kisshu asked.

Ichigo smiled. "Of course. I was waiting for you to come back to ask if you'd live with me. I missed you."

"Thanks…." Kisshu said. "Um… do you have anything to eat?"

"Lots of stuff," Ichigo said. "Do you have any allergies?"

"Just bananas, but it's a really severe allergy; just smelling them makes me throw up," Kisshu said.

"I don't have any, so that's fine," Ichigo said. "You look like you haven't eaten in a while."

"It's been about two weeks," Kisshu said. "I probably can't eat anything too heavy."

"Can you eat ramen?" Ichigo asked.

"Yeah," Kisshu said.

"I'll go make some," Ichigo said. "I'll make some soup or something later, k?"

"K, thanks," Kisshu said.

Ichigo went downstairs, and got some ramen, then cooked it and poured it into a bowl. She took the bowl back to Kisshu with a pair of chopsticks, and saw that he was still awake. "Don't try to sit up, I'll help you," she told him.

"I'm not sure I can use chopsticks," Kisshu admitted.

"I don't mind," Ichigo said. She helped him sit up, rearranging the pillows to support him, then said, "Open up."

Kisshu obeyed, and she started feeding him the ramen. By the time he was finished, Kisshu was looking sleepy again, and Ichigo said, "Get some more sleep, Kisshu."

Kisshu settled back down, and was asleep within seconds. Ichigo settled down to watch him again.

Five hours later, Ichigo was really tired, so she climbed into the sleeping bag she had been sleeping in, and went to sleep.

The next morning, she woke up to the sound of her cell phone ringing, and got up, looking at the caller ID. Kisshu was looking at her, and she said, "Stay quiet, it's Ryou."

Kisshu nodded, and Ichigo picked up. "What's up?" she asked.

"_The computers detected alien activity at your house, are you okay?" _Ryou asked.

"I'm fine," Ichigo said. "The computers haven't detected anything approaching Earth, have they?"

Ryou sounded grim as he said, _"There's a spaceship somewhere around here. Whoever's here isn't attacking, though. What's going on, Ichigo?"_

"Whoever's here is most likely after Kisshu," Ichigo said. "If they find him, he and I are screwed. Any suggestions?"

"_I think your best bet is getting your school friends," _Ryou said reluctantly. _"They're stronger than everyone else, and being human, they'll be underestimated by everyone. Also, Zakuro's out of town, and Mint has some kind of performance today. I can send Lettuce and Pudding if you need me to, but we also need to protect the Café."_

"Moe, Miwa, and I will do our best," Ichigo said. "Have Lettuce and Pudding stay at the Café, and the three of us will protect Kisshu."

"_Good luck," _Ryou said, and hung up.

Ichigo immediately dialed Miwa's number, and as soon as she picked up, said, "Miwa, get Moe and come to my house; we've got a major emergency. And the door's unlocked, so come to my room, k?"

"_On it," _Miwa said, and hung up.

Ichigo turned to Kisshu, and said, "It looks like we're going to have company."

"Why did you call your school friends?" Kisshu asked.

"Because they're stronger than I am," Ichigo said. "They don't have powers, but they're the best hand-to-hand fighters I've ever seen. They don't care if the person they're fighting has weapons; they'll either take the weapons and throw them away, or use the person's own weapons against them. They're undefeated by the martial arts team at school, and they'll take adults down too. Sometimes I wonder if they're actually human."

"Wow…" Kisshu said.

They heard the front door open a while later, and footsteps on the stairs. Moe and Miwa came into the room, and looked startled. "Kisshu came back?" Moe asked.

"Yes," Ichigo said. "He escaped from jail, and now there are people after him. The other Mews are busy; I need you two to help if Kisshu's enemies find us. He's too weak to sit up, much less fight."

"Understood," Moe said. "Are you going to transform?"

"Good idea," Ichigo said, and grabbed her pendant, then transformed.

Just in time, too. They heard teleportation, and two male Cyniclons, both older than Kisshu, appeared. "Hand over Ikisatashi Kisshu, and we'll let you live," one of them said.

"NEVER!" Moe shouted. "You're going to have to go through us if you want Kisshu. And we're not going to make it easy for you."

The two guys took out weapons, and Moe and Miwa both lunged forward at the same time. Moe dodged a sword thrust, and kicked the guy holding it in the arm, breaking his wrist and causing him to drop the sword. Moe picked it up and said, "Nice sword, I think I'll keep it."

Miwa giggled as the other guy lunged at her with a dagger. She sidestepped, grabbed his arm, and threw him on the floor, then grabbed his dagger. Looking at what looked like a moonstone in the hilt, she said, "This is pretty. I think I'll keep it too."

Moe smirked and said, "What will you two do now that we have your weapons?"

Miwa was looking at the dagger, and she said, "I feel… strange." The others looked at her, just as she pointed the dagger at its previous owner, and shouted, "INAZUMA SENKO!"

Lightning shot out of the blade, scorching the guy's shoulder. Everyone looked shocked, including Miwa herself. "Moe, what can that sword do?" she asked.

Moe concentrated, then said, "It feels like it can shoot fire blasts at people- but I don't want to burn the house down."

The two guys were speechless, until the guy who used to have a sword said, "You two wouldn't happen to be twins, would you?"

"We're fraternal twins, but we were separated at birth," Miwa said. "We both live with our mom now, but we don't know who our dad was. Why?"

"It's complicated," the first guy said.

"You're talking about that legend, right?" Kisshu asked.

The guy sighed. "Yes," he said. He turned to Moe and Miwa and said, "You're both half Cyniclon."

Moe and Miwa looked shocked. "Is that why we can use telepathy and your weapons?" Miwa asked.

"Yes," the guy said. "About five hundred years ago, some prophet said that the strongest warriors our people would ever see would be a pair of twin girls. We all thought that that prophecy had been incorrect, since Kisshu is the strongest warrior our people have ever seen, but he can't use others' weapons the way you two can. I guess we'd better inform our leader that Kisshu just became out of reach."

He took a device out of his pocket, and pressed a few buttons. A miniature hologram came up, and the man said, "Zen, what happened?"

"Well, we found Kisshu, but there's a problem," Zen said a bit nervously.

"What is it?" the man sighed.

"The twins won't let us get him back!" Zen said.

"Are you saying you found them?" the man asked incredulously. "Why are they on Earth?"

"Their mother is apparently human," Zen said. "But they disarmed Hiroshi and myself and then one of them used Hiroshi's weapon to scorch his shoulder. There's no doubt it's them. They don't know who their father is, though."

The man sighed. "I'm coming to Earth to verify this claim," he said. "If you're wrong, however, you'll be Kisshu's replacements in that cell."

"Great…." Zen said. The man glared at him, and the hologram vanished.

"You forgot something," Miwa commented.

"Which would be…" Zen said.

"You should have told him if he tries to harm Kisshu, we'll be taking him down too," Miwa said.

"You two are strange…." Hiroshi said.

"Actually, we're completely insane- and proud of it," Moe said. "Anyone who hurts Ichigo or her friends goes down in flames. We landed Aoyama in the hospital for suggesting Ichigo is a slut. He'll be out in a month, but if he starts again, he'll be sent to hell."

"Can I send him to hell?" Kisshu asked.

"We'll consider it," Miwa said.

Zen and Hiroshi were looking puzzled, but jumped when Ichigo's cell phone rang. Sighing, Ichigo picked up and asked, "What's up, Ryou?"

"_What's going on over there?" _Ryou asked.

"New twist," Ichigo said. "Apparently Moe and Miwa are part of some Cyniclonian legend. Now we're apparently waiting for the Cyniclons' leader to come. Just ignore the next ship, k?"

"_Moe and Miwa are Cyniclons?" _Ryou asked.

"Half, their mom's a human," Ichigo said. "And the two who came here aren't attacking at the moment. They got their weapons stolen."

"_Fine… I'll let you handle this, and inform the others," _Ryou said.

"Thanks," Ichigo said, and hung up. She looked at Kisshu, who was looking worn out again. Then she looked at the others, and said, "You don't mind going downstairs, do you? Kisshu needs to rest."

"Sure," Miwa said. She and Moe dragged Zen and Hiroshi off. Ichigo detransformed, and sat on the bed with Kisshu, then started stroking his hair as she said, "Kisshu, go back to sleep."

Kisshu fell asleep pretty quickly, and Ichigo kept stroking his hair.

A few hours later, Ichigo heard teleportation downstairs, and assumed the Cyniclons' leader had arrived. A few minutes later she heard a loud crash, and Miwa shouting, "HELL NO!"

This woke Kisshu up, and he asked, "What's going on?"

"I'll go find out," Ichigo said. She got up and went downstairs, then to the living room. She found Moe and Miwa glaring at an older Cyniclon. Ichigo sighed and asked, "What's going on?"

"He wants us to hand over Kisshu!" Moe said angrily.

"Why do you want Kisshu back?" Ichigo asked the older Cyniclon. "I already asked him to live with me, so he won't be coming back to your planet anyways. And I don't understand why you put him in jail in the first place. You do realize Deep Blue was going to wipe out your race as well as the humans, right?"

"Who are you, anyways?" the older Cyniclon asked.

"I'm Mew Ichigo," Ichigo said. "And I refuse to let you take Kisshu."

"And we'll back her up," Moe and Miwa said together. "You can go to hell if you hurt Kisshu again."

"Yahiko-sama, it might be better this way," Zen said. "If we leave Kisshu here, you won't have to pay an executioner, and we won't get killed by the twins. And someone's going to need to train them; Kisshu would be the best person to do it. No one else is on a close enough level to train these two."

Yahiko sighed. "Fine. If Kisshu ever comes back, however, he WILL die."

"Um, what did you do to Pai and Taruto?" Ichigo asked.

"Nothing, Kisshu apparently brainwashed them into going along with him," Zen said. "They're fine."

"Good," Ichigo said. "One of my teammates is in love with Pai, and another is in love with Taruto. I don't know if they know that, though."

Yahiko sighed. "Zen, Hiroshi, let's go," he said. "We'll leave Kisshu here." He turned back to Ichigo and said, "Make sure he understands he can never return."

"Hai," Ichigo said. Yahiko, Zen and Hiroshi teleported out, and Ichigo sighed. "Thanks, guys," she said to Moe and Miwa.

"That's what best friends are for," Miwa said. "Let's go see how Kisshu's doing."

Ichigo led the way back upstairs, and quietly went into her room. Kisshu was asleep again, and Ichigo said softly, "He needs to rest, so you two can go, if you want. I'll stay with him."

"K, see you soon," Moe said, and the twins headed out. Ichigo settled down next to Kisshu, and started stroking his hair again.

**That was interesting… review plz!**


	2. PTSD

**Escape Part 2: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder**

After Moe and Miwa left, Ichigo went to the kitchen to make some soup for Kisshu. She cut up a bunch of vegetables and chicken, then cooked the chicken. Then she put it all together with water, and put the soup on the stove to boil.

About half an hour later, the soup was done, and Ichigo turned the stove off, covered the pot, and went upstairs to check on Kisshu.

Kisshu was starting to stir, and Ichigo asked softly, "Kisshu?"

Kisshu opened his eyes, and looked at her. "Are they gone?" he asked.

"Yeah, Zen convinced his leader that you'd be the best person to train Moe and Miwa, so they're going to let you live, as long as you never return to Cyniclonia," Ichigo said.

"I have no intention of going back," Kisshu said. "Two years of torture was more than enough."

"I'm sorry you had to go through all that," Ichigo said. "I'm glad you escaped; I really missed you."

"Is that because the treehugger dumped you?" Kisshu asked.

"He didn't dump me," Ichigo said. "I dumped him. I realized after you left- without saying goodbye- that I really love you, so I dumped Aoyuck, and a week later, he started telling everyone I was a slut. Moe and Miwa have landed him in the hospital more times that I can count over the past two years. He's currently in there till late next month."

"Wow…." Kisshu said. "Hey, can I kill him?"

"Not a bad idea," Ichigo said. "How are you feeling?"

"I can barely move," Kisshu said. "It's going to be a while before I'm back to full strength. I'm sorry for putting this on you, Koneko-chan."

"I don't mind; as long as you're back, it doesn't matter," Ichigo said. "I'll do everything I can to help you get better, k?"

"Thanks," Kisshu said.

"Are you hungry? I made soup," Ichigo said.

"What kind?" Kisshu asked.

"Chicken noodle," Ichigo said.

"I'm actually pretty hungry, can I have some?" Kisshu asked.

"Sure, I'll bring it up here," Ichigo said. She went downstairs, ladled some soup into a bowl, and brought it back upstairs. She sat down next to Kisshu and said, "K, open up."

He obeyed, and she started feeding him the soup. A little over half-way through, he said, "I'm not really hungry anymore…."

Ichigo put the bowl and spoon on her desk, and asked, "Do you want to go back to sleep?"

"Can I stay up a while longer?" Kisshu asked.

"Of course," Ichigo said.

Kisshu smiled, then asked, "Where are your parents?"

"Away again," Ichigo said. "They leave me alone a lot. I guess it's better right now, though. You'll be here for a while before they get back. They'll be back next Saturday."

"What if I'm not recovered before then?" Kisshu asked.

"We'll manage," Ichigo said. "Don't worry about it. Worrying isn't good for you right now."

Kisshu sighed. "I wish Pai was here; he's a healer," he said.

"Yahiko claims you brainwashed Pai and Taruto," Ichigo commented.

"I told him that so they'd stay free," Kisshu said. "I didn't want them to have to suffer with me."

"You're amazing," Ichigo said.

"You think so?" Kisshu asked.

"Yes," Ichigo said, smiling. "I love you, Kisshu."

"I love you too, Koneko-chan," Kisshu said happily. Then he yawned, and Ichigo said, "Get some rest, it's getting late."

"Can we sleep together?" Kisshu asked sleepily.

"Are you sure?" Ichigo said. "You've got a lot of unhealed injuries; I don't want to reopen them."

Kisshu gave her puppy dog eyes, and she said, "Oh, fine…. Let me go get my pajamas on."

Kisshu's face lit up. Ichigo giggled and gathered up her pajamas, then went to change. When she came back, she carefully climbed in with Kisshu, and turned off her light. "Night," she said.

"Night," Kisshu said sleepily, and she heard his breathing even out. She was asleep soon after.

A few hours later, she was woken by Kisshu whimpering in his sleep. She noticed she was hugging him, and took her arms away. Kisshu didn't relax, though, and she wondered, _Is he having a nightmare?_

She reached out, gently placing a hand on his cheek, but was surprised when he grabbed her arm, his eyes opening, looking panicked. The grip on her arm hurt, and she said, "Kisshu, let go, I'm not going to hurt you."

Kisshu relaxed his death grip and asked, "Ichigo?"

"I'm here," Ichigo said. "Were you having a nightmare?"

"They were torturing me again, and it really hurt," Kisshu whispered.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Ichigo asked gently.

"No…" Kisshu said. "But now I can't sleep."

Ichigo smoothed his hair back, and asked, "Would it help if I stroked your hair for a while?"

"Maybe," Kisshu said. Ichigo gently started stroking his hair, and he slowly started to relax. Soon he was sleeping again, and Ichigo went back to sleep as well, taking her hand off Kisshu's head.

Kisshu got through the rest of the night without more nightmares, and woke up at around ten the next morning. Ichigo was waking up too, and she opened her eyes to see Kisshu looking at her. "How are you feeling this morning?" Ichigo asked him.

"No better than yesterday," Kisshu sighed. "I'm hungry again, though."

"Do you want oatmeal?" Ichigo asked.

"I'm not sure milk is really that good for me…." Kisshu said.

"Do you want it with brown sugar instead of milk?" Ichigo asked.

Kisshu perked up and said, "That sounds good…"

"K," Ichigo said. Before she could go make it, though, her cell phone rang. Looking at the caller ID, she picked up and said, "Hi Mom. What's up?"

"_We're coming home tomorrow," _Sakura said. _"Ryou called and said you needed to discuss something with us, and that we should come back as soon as possible."_

"Okay, see you then,"Ichigo said.

"_Bye!" _Sakura said, and hung up.

Ichigo sighed and told Kisshu, "My parents will be back tomorrow."

"What am I supposed to do?" Kisshu asked.

"I'll tell them that we need to meet in here," Ichigo said. "It'll be fine, I promise."

"K," Kisshu said.

"I'm going to make the oatmeal, just take it easy," Ichigo said. Kisshu nodded, and Ichigo left. She cooked some oatmeal in the kitchen, put brown sugar in it, and took it back to Kisshu.

He looked up at her as she came in, and said gloomily, "I still can't sit up."

"Like you said, it's going to be a while before you're back to full strength," Ichigo said. "The fact that you haven't eaten in two weeks doesn't help either. You're seriously underweight; you're going to need more than just rest to get back to full strength. I'll help you get back on your feet, k?"

"Thanks…." Kisshu said.

"Are you still hungry?" Ichigo asked.

"Yeah," Kisshu said.

Ichigo sat down next to him and said, "Open up." Kisshu obeyed, and Ichigo started feeding him the oatmeal. He managed to finish the whole thing this time. Ichigo noticed he looked sleepy again, and said, "Go back to sleep, I have to put this downstairs, but I'll be back, k?"

"K…" Kisshu said, closing his eyes. He fell asleep as Ichigo left the room.

Kisshu slept through the rest of the day, and woke up at about 8 that night. Ichigo was starting to get tired, and when Kisshu woke up, she asked, "Kisshu, is sleeping together really a good idea? You have pretty violent reactions to being touched in your sleep, and I don't want to scare you."

Kisshu looked sad, and said sadly, "I like sleeping with you…." Then to Ichigo's worry, he started crying.

She immediately went over and sat next to Kisshu, and said softly, "I didn't mean to make you sad. We can sleep together; I don't mind. I just won't touch you while you're sleeping, k?"

"Mmhm…." Kisshu said sadly. There were still tears running down his face, and Ichigo was really worried.

Suddenly an idea occurred to her, and she asked, "Kisshu, was what you went through on your planet really traumatic?"

"Yeah… They beat me up and/or whipped me every day," Kisshu said sadly. "And they killed my friend in front of me…."

Ichigo was horrified, but she still said, "I think you have Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder."

"What's that?" Kisshu asked.

"It's something that can happen to your mind after a really traumatic event," Ichigo said. "One of the most common symptoms is nightmares, and I think the reason you attack when I touch you in your sleep is that you're reliving what happened to you in jail."

"Does that mean I'm going insane?" Kisshu asked gloomily.

"No, it just means you'll be different from the person you were before they put you in jail," Ichigo said. "I'll do everything I can to help you through this, though."

"Thanks…" Kisshu said. "Can we go to sleep?"

"Sure," Ichigo said. She climbed into the bed with Kisshu, and he snuggled against her as she turned out the light.

Like the night before, however, Ichigo woke up late at night because Kisshu was whimpering again. "Kisshu? Kisshu, wake up," Ichigo said softly. She turned on the light, and the brightness woke Kisshu up. He looked panicked, and Ichigo said softly, "It's okay, it was just another nightmare."

Kisshu sighed and asked, "I'm safe here, right?"

"Yes," Ichigo said. "You're safe here." She smoothed his hair back and started stroking it again. When he started to relax, she turned the light back out, and curled up next to him.

The next morning they woke up at the same time, and Ichigo said softly, "I'm going to take a shower, k? I'll be back as soon as I can."

"K," Kisshu said.

Ichigo gathered up some clothes, and went to the bathroom. She took a quick shower, got dressed, and went back to her room to do her hair. She noticed Kisshu was watching her, and asked, "What's up?"

"Is there more of that soup?" Kisshu asked. "I'm starving."

"I'll go heat some up," Ichigo said. She went downstairs, put some soup in a bowl, and put it in the microwave. When it was done, she went back upstairs, and was surprised to see that Kisshu was sitting up. "You can sit up now?" she asked.

"Yeah," Kisshu said. "I'm not sure I can eat, though; my hands feel shaky, and so does everything else."

Ichigo nodded, and said, "Open up." Kisshu obeyed, and Ichigo fed him the soup. He finished it all again, and Ichigo put the bowl aside. "My parents will be back soon," she said.

"What if they don't like me?" Kisshu asked.

"They'll deal, and I think my mom, at least, will like you," Ichigo said. "Don't worry, no matter what, you can stay here."

"Thanks…." Kisshu said.

"Do you want to go back to sleep?" Ichigo asked.

"I'm not as tired; can we play a game or something?" Kisshu asked.

"Do you like Twenty Questions?" Ichigo asked.

"Yeah," Kisshu said. "I like that a lot."

"K, do you want to go first?" Ichigo asked.

Kisshu thought, then said, "I'm thinking of an animal."

They kept playing till about noon, when they heard noises at the door, and Sakura calling, "Ichigo, we're back!"

"I'm in my room, come upstairs!" Ichigo called back.

A few minutes later, they heard footsteps on the stairs, and Sakura and Shintaro came into the room- then stopped dead.

"Kisshu came back," Ichigo said.

"I take it there's more to it than that?" Sakura asked.

"Kisshu was put in jail for helping us, and he managed to escape a few days ago," Ichigo said. "He had to teleport here to get away, and that drained all his energy. I've been taking care of him since then, and since he's unable to return to his planet and doesn't want to, I told him he can live here. And Kisshu's severely allergic to bananas, so Dad's obsession will be gone for good."

Sakura looked happy, and said, "That's great! Kisshu's welcome to stay, and if Shintaro doesn't like it, I'll get the men-whacking broom."

Ichigo noticed Kisshu was looking scared again, and said, "Let's keep it to scoldings and locking him in the garage. I don't want to scare Kisshu; he says he got tortured in jail. And I think he has PTSD."

Sakura looked worried, and said, "Are you sure?"

"Not positive, but he's having nightmares, and the first time I tried to wake him up, he grabbed my arm in his sleep," Ichigo said. "I think he's afraid of being touched while he's asleep."

Sakura looked more worried, and looked at Kisshu, then asked, "Kisshu, are you having any other problems, like being depressed?"

"I haven't been happy in two years," Kisshu said. "And even now that I'm away from the torture, I'm still not happy."

"I'd say Ichigo's right, then," Sakura said. "Is there anything else?"

"Moe and Miwa are half-Cyniclon," Ichigo said. "These two guys came after Kisshu, and Moe and Miwa disarmed them, and when Miwa used one guy's weapon to scorch him with lightning, the other guy asked if they were twins, and when Moe said yes, they told us about some Cyniclonian legend. It says the greatest warriors the Cyniclons will ever see would be a pair of twin girls. That's why the two guys convinced their leader to leave Kisshu alive; he's the only one capable of training their powers."

"Wow…." Sakura said. "I knew those two were something else, but they're half Cyniclon?"

"I guess that explains why they don't have any clue who their father is," Shintaro said.

"Ichigo, what are we doing about school?" Sakura asked.

"I don't think it's a good idea to have Kisshu go to school," Ichigo said. "You KNOW what the girls there are like. It's also not a good idea to leave him home alone. I was going to ask you to stop the vacations and actually be here for me; maybe now's a good time. If you choose to continue the stupid vacations, I'll manage, but I'll also drop out of school so I can be with Kisshu."

"I thought you liked being home alone," Shintaro said.

"Well, you were dead wrong," Ichigo said. "I HATE being home alone. I also hate that you never say goodbye or anything; you just leave me a note and a bunch of money."

"I don't mind stopping the vacations; they're getting expensive anyways," Sakura said. "Alright, I'll stay with Kisshu while you're at school. Maybe I can homeschool him."

"I hate math," Kisshu said.

"I'll try to make it fun," Sakura said. "I'll call the school and explain that I'm homeschooling you, and could they send work here."

"Thanks…." Kisshu said. He sounded tired.

Ichigo noticed and asked, "Kisshu, do you want to go back to sleep?"

"Yeah… I'm getting worn out again," Kisshu said. "Can you stay?"

"Yes, of course," Ichigo said. "Which reminds me, Mom. I said I'd stay with Kisshu till he can manage on his own; when you call the school, can you make up some excuse for my absence?"

"Okay," Sakura said. "Sleep well, Kisshu."

"Thanks…" Kisshu said sleepily. Sakura and Shintaro left as Kisshu laid back. He was asleep within minutes, and Ichigo settled down to watch him.

**I know I said it's a one-shot, but one of my reviewers inspired me to continue, so there might be more! Review plz!**


	3. Pai and Taruto

**Escape Part 3: Pai and Taruto**

Kisshu woke up again around 6 that evening, and Ichigo noticed. "Kisshu, how are you feeling?" she asked.

"Not much better," Kisshu said. "I still feel really shaky. And sitting up is still kind of hard."

"Maybe it's better that you don't, then," Ichigo said. "It's about dinnertime; do you want anything?"

"Do you have any cereal?" Kisshu asked.

"Yeah, what kind do you like?" Ichigo asked.

"Frosted Mini Wheats," Kisshu said.

"We've got plenty of that," Ichigo said. "No milk yet, though, right?"

"I don't put milk on cereal anyways," Kisshu said. "Do you have any juice?"

"I think we've got cranberry," Ichigo said. "Do you want that?"

"Sure," Kisshu said. "Do you mind?"

"Nope," Ichigo said. "I'll go get that."

Before she could leave, though, there was a knock on the door. "Come in," Ichigo called.

Sakura came in, and asked, "Do you two want dinner?"

"What did you make? Kisshu can't eat anything too heavy," Ichigo said.

"I made Greek salad," Sakura said.

Ichigo and Kisshu got identical looks of disgust, and Sakura sighed. "Okay, never mind," she said.

"I think I'll join Kisshu in having cereal," Ichigo said. "Kisshu, do you like fruit?"

"I love apples," Kisshu said. "But I'll eat most fruits. Just not bananas; they make me really sick."

"We've got some apples," Sakura said. "Ichigo, why don't you come cut some up and get cereal."

"K," Ichigo said. "Oh, Kisshu likes it when I sleep with him, can you keep Dad out of here? I don't want him to scare Kisshu."

"Alright," Sakura said. "Let's go get apples and cereal, and then you can come back."

"K," Ichigo said. "Kisshu, I'll be back, k?"

"K," Kisshu said.

Ichigo went downstairs with her mother, and Shintaro looked up. "Ichigo and Kisshu are both salad haters," Sakura told him. "Ichigo's getting some cereal and apples together."

"Another one?" Shintaro sighed.

"Kisshu likes fruit, so that'll just have to do," Sakura said. She and Ichigo went into the kitchen, and Ichigo got some cereal while Sakura cut up two apples.

Ichigo took the two bowls upstairs after they were done, and found Kisshu sitting up. "I just have to get some cranberry juice," Ichigo told him.

"K," Kisshu said.

Ichigo went back downstairs and was just getting the juice out when she heard teleportation upstairs. She quickly set the juice down and ran upstairs, skidding to a stop in front of her door, and going in. To her shock, Pai and Taruto were in her room, and she asked, "What are you two doing here?"

"We got exiled," Pai said glumly. "Our leader found out that Kisshu was lying about brainwashing us, and exiled us. Taruto's too young to be in jail, and I was appointed his caretaker, so we came to Earth."

"Is Kisshu in danger again?" Ichigo asked.

"No, Yahiko-sama said something about twins killing people, gave us a ship, and told us never to come back," Pai said. "Oh well, at least we'll get to be with Kisshu."

"We have a spare bedroom," Ichigo said. "I guess you and Taruto could share it. We just have to ask my parents."

Pai sighed. Kisshu looked at him, and asked, "Pai, do you know anything about Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder? Ichigo thinks I have it."

Pai put a hand on Kisshu's forehead for a few minutes, then said, "She's right; you've got a pretty severe case of it. It's not going to be easy to get through, either; I can't heal mental problems. What symptoms do you have so far?"

"Depression and nightmares, and attacking people who touch me in my sleep," Kisshu said gloomily.

"I take it that's why Ichigo has bruises on her wrist?" Pai asked.

"Yeah…." Kisshu said sadly.

"How are you feeling otherwise?" Pai asked.

"I feel really shaky, and sitting up still isn't easy," Kisshu said. "Koneko-chan said I was unconscious for three days after I teleported here."

"Lie back down," Pai said. Kisshu obeyed, and Pai put a hand on his chest. His hand began to glow, and Kisshu relaxed, falling asleep. Ten minutes later, Pai took his hand away and said softly, "He'll be feeling stronger when he wakes up, but he'll still need some rest to recover. He's also malnourished, we should try to get him to eat all the food groups."

"He said he can't eat anything too heavy," Ichigo commented.

"He's right," Pai said. "It'll be at least another three days before he can eat more solid food. Did he mention how long he'd been without food?"

"Two weeks," Ichigo said. "While he's sleeping, should we go explain this to my parents?"

"Okay," Pai said. "We should contact that blonde guy too."

Ichigo nodded, and said, "Come downstairs, my parents are having dinner."

Pai and Taruto followed her downstairs, and to the dining room. "Ichigo, we have more guests?" Sakura asked.

"This is Pai and his younger brother Taruto, Kisshu's adoptive brothers," Ichigo said. "They got exiled."

"I suppose that means they need the guest room?" Sakura asked.

"If you don't mind," Pai said.

"I don't mind," Sakura said. "I guess we'll put a futon on the floor till we can get a second bed."

"Thank you," Pai said. He nudged Taruto, who said, "Yeah, thanks, um…"

"I'm Sakura, and this is Shintaro," Sakura said. She looked at Shintaro, who had a suspicious look on his face.

"If Pai and Taruto are taking the guest room, where is Kisshu sleeping?" he asked warily.

"He's sleeping with Ichigo, because it helps him," Sakura said. "And no complaints, or I'll lock you in the garage, got it?"

"First you take away the bananas, and now Ichigo's sleeping with Kisshu?" Shintaro asked grouchily.

"Taking away the bananas is a good thing, your obsession was completely out of control," Ichigo said. "And Kisshu and I won't do anything besides sleep. So no shouting at him; he'll get scared."

"Ichigo's right, he's got a pretty severe case of PTSD," Pai said. "You weren't going to sign him up for school, were you?"

"No, I was going to homeschool him," Sakura said. "Ichigo already said that it's a bad idea, and I agree; it'll make him nervous."

"I can help with the homeschooling, if you want," Pai said. "I'm good with math and science."

"I'm not, that would be great," Sakura said. "Taruto, am I signing you up for school?"

"Can I go to school with Pudding?" Taruto asked. "Then she can show me how things work."

"Sure, what school does she go to?" Sakura asked.

"Hanabiru Elementary," Ichigo said. "Maybe you should homeschool Taruto until she starts next year; it's already almost summer vacation."

"Good point," Sakura said. "Alright, I'll homeschool Taruto as well."

"It's better if I'm here too; Kisshu's probably going to be sensitive to loud noises," Pai said. "I can keep him calm while Ichigo's not around."

"No you can't," Taruto said. "Sakura's got a better chance of that; you get irritated and say the T word, and then Kisshu teleports under someone's bed. You've got NO common sense, Pai."

"What's the T word?" Ichigo asked.

"Tickle," Taruto said. "Tickling Kisshu will cause him to stop breathing; he's terrified of being tickled. Every time someone says the T word, we end up spending hours coaxing him out from under his bed. Or at least, _I _do. Pai gets fed up and storms out."

"Mmph," Pai said. "Are we calling that blonde guy soon?"

Ichigo sighed and got her cell phone, then dialed the Café's number. Two rings later, she heard, _"What happened?"_

"Pai and Taruto got exiled, and they're going to be living here now," Ichigo said. "My mom already said yes."

"_I thought you only had one spare bedroom," _Ryou said.

"Pai and Taruto will be sharing, while I get to sleep with Kisshu!" Ichigo said happily.

"_Is he any better?" _Ryou asked.

"Pai says he needs to rest more, and he's got a pretty severe case of PTSD," Ichigo said.

"_So you won't be working for a while?" _Ryou sighed.

"No, I should stay here at least until Kisshu's back on his feet," Ichigo said. "My mom is supposed to make up something for the school."

Ryou sighed. _"Fine… but you are coming back, right?"_

"I'm not sure," Ichigo said. "Frankly, I think spending time with Kisshu and my family is more important right now. And my parents finally quit the vacations. I'm still deciding whether or not to keep working there, so I'll let you know when I've made a decision."

"_You'd better," _Ryou grumbled. _"I'd like to talk to Pai, can you put him on?"_

"Hang on," Ichigo said. She turned to Pai and said, "Ryou wants to talk to you."

"Alright," Pai said. Ichigo handed him the phone, then went back to the kitchen, and got some cranberry juice for Kisshu.

Going back to her room, she saw that Kisshu was stirring, and asked softly, "Kisshu?"

Kisshu opened his eyes and looked at her, then sat up. "I feel stronger," Kisshu said. "I'm not sure I can walk yet, though."

"Pai said you'll still need some rest," Ichigo said. "He also said you're malnourished, and that you won't be able to eat heavy food for at least another three days."

Kisshu sighed, and asked, "Did you bring the cereal?"

"Yep," Ichigo said. "Are you able to eat by yourself?"

"I think so," Kisshu said.

Ichigo handed him a bowl of cereal with apple slices, and a spoon, then said, "I'll put the cranberry juice on the night table, k? I'm going to eat at my desk."

"K, thanks," Kisshu said. He picked up the spoon and started eating as Ichigo sat down with her own bowl.

Pai came in as they were finishing, and said, "Here's your cell phone, Ichigo."

"Thanks," Ichigo said, taking in and putting it on her desk. "What did Ryou say?"

"I think he was just making sure it's safe to have us here," Pai said. "I guess I can't really blame him."

"Oh well," Ichigo said. "Um, no offense, but are you able to do something about your ears? I don't want you guys to end up in jail because you got recognized."

"I invented a pill that will change our ears for ten hours," Pai said. "I told Ryou that as well, and that I may need to make more at some point. He agreed to me using his lab when that happens."

"Good," Ichigo said.

"He mentioned something about your school friends," Pai said. "Can you tell me more about that?"

"According to the two who came here, Moe and Miwa are part of a legend that says the most powerful warriors your people will ever see would be a pair of twin girls," Ichigo said. "Moe and Miwa are half-human, half-Cyniclon fraternal twins. They don't know who their father is, though, and he's the Cyniclon. Their mom is human."

"Can they use their powers at all?" Pai asked.

"They can use telepathy and other peoples' weapons," Ichigo said. "They can't use any other powers, to my knowledge."

"We need to train them soon," Pai said. "If their powers were to go out of control, I shudder to think what would happen. And powers going out of control can be triggered by anger or other emotions."

"Who's training them?" Ichigo asked.

Pai sighed. "Normally I'd say Kisshu, but after what he's been through, I think I'd better train them," he said. "From what I can sense, it's going to be a long time before Kisshu can even be around kitchen knives, much less his swords."

Ichigo looked worriedly at Kisshu, who sighed and said, "Pai's right, sharp objects are scary to me now. I used to like sword fighting, and fighting in general; now I just see it as a way to hurt people. I think if I hadn't escaped from jail, I would have gone insane. It was beyond horrible, having no freedom and being tortured and beat up on a daily basis. Even if my body recovers, I don't know if my spirit ever will. Your rejections were nothing compared to what I got every day for the past two years."

Ichigo was on the verge of tears, and Pai noticed. "Ichigo and I need to have a chat," he told Kisshu, then took Ichigo's shoulder and teleported.

To Ichigo's surprise, they landed under the sakura tree in Inohara Park. Pai sat down, and motioned for Ichigo to do the same. Ichigo did so, and Pai said, "I know it's really hard to hear how much pain Kisshu's been in, and even more so for you, since you were the cause of it on Earth. I also know that you have a lot of trouble hiding your emotions. While I'm not asking you to become like me, I want you to try really hard to stay strong around Kisshu, Ichigo. Right now what he needs is different from two years ago, when all he thought he needed was for you to love him the way he loves you. What he needs right now is for you to stay strong even when he can't. It's going to take a lot of patience and care to get Kisshu back to even semi-normal, and I think it's going to test your love for him, but I think you're the only one who can help him now. Taruto and I will help too, but you really need to stay with him as much as you possibly can."

"I will," Ichigo said. "I really think it's time I stopped working at Café Mew Mew. Kisshu needs me more than Ryou does; Ryou will just have to deal. And school is six hours five days a week, so can you help him during that time?"

"Of course," Pai said. "So you're going to tell Ryou you're quitting?"

"Yes," Ichigo said. "Should we get back?"

"Hai," Pai said, and teleported her back to her room.

Kisshu was still awake, but he looked tired out. "What were you chatting about?" he asked.

"I just wanted to talk to Ichigo about caring for you," Pai said. "I figured you'd find it boring, so I just took her somewhere else."

"Oh…." Kisshu said. "Koneko-chan, can we sleep together again?"

"Sure, let me just get pajamas on," Ichigo said. She got her pajamas and went to the bathroom. After she changed, she went back to her room and saw that Pai was gone. She closed the door, and came over to the bed. She climbed in with Kisshu, feeling him snuggle against her as she turned the light out. Soon she was asleep too.

Ichigo was woken up much later by Kisshu whimpering again. Looking at the clock, she saw that it was roughly the same time as last night. _I wonder why he has this nightmare at the same time every night? _she thought. Sighing, she said softly, "Kisshu, wake up." She turned on the light, and Kisshu's eyes snapped open. "Kisshu, it's okay, you're safe here," Ichigo said softly.

"Koneko-chan?" Kisshu asked.

"I'm here," Ichigo said, gently putting her hand on his cheek.

Kisshu sighed. "I want these nightmares to go away…" he said.

Ichigo gently smoothed his hair back as she said, "I'm not sure I can make them go away, but I'll help you get through this, no matter what, k?"

"Thanks…." Kisshu said.

"Do you want me to stroke your hair till you fall asleep again?" Ichigo asked. "That usually helps, right?"

"Yeah… it feels nice," Kisshu said. Ichigo started stroking his hair gently, and he relaxed. Five minutes later he was sleeping again, and Ichigo turned the light out, then went back to sleep herself.

The next morning they both woke up at about 10, and Ichigo sat up, then looked at Kisshu, who also sat up. "How are you feeling today?" Ichigo asked.

"Better," Kisshu said. "Can I get up for a while?"

"Let's ask Pai, k?" Ichigo said. "I don't want you to push yourself."

Kisshu sighed, just as Pai came in and said, "How are you two today?"

"I feel better, can I get up for a while?" Kisshu asked.

Pai came over and put a hand on his chest, then said, "You can, but not for too long. You're still not strong enough to fly or teleport, and staying on your feet for too long isn't going to be good for you."

"Can I go downstairs? I've never seen the rest of Ichigo's house," Kisshu said.

"See if you can walk first," Pai said.

Kisshu pushed the blankets back as Ichigo got up, and put his feet on the floor, then stood up. "My legs are really stiff," he said.

"You've been in bed for about a week, that's not surprising," Ichigo said. "Do you need help walking?"

Kisshu tried taking a step, and Ichigo noticed he was a bit unsteady. She gently took his arm, and said, "Lean on me, I'll help you."

Kisshu let Ichigo help him take a few more steps, but they stopped when Pai said, "No stairs, you're still not strong enough."

Kisshu sighed. "I'm bored with staying in the same room all day…." he said.

"Fine… I'll teleport you," Pai said. He took Kisshu's shoulder and teleported, leaving Ichigo to go down the stairs.

When she got to the kitchen, she noticed that Sakura had made blueberry muffins. Pai was helping Kisshu sit down at the table, and Sakura was taking the muffins out of the pan. "Ichigo, will you get plates?" Sakura asked.

"Sure," Ichigo said. "Is Dad gone?"

"Yep," Sakura said. "I made sure he didn't disturb you two this morning."

"Thanks," Ichigo said, getting out four plates. "Hey, where's Taruto?"

"Probably still sleeping," Pai sighed.

"It's Sunday, that's fine," Sakura said. "My younger brother slept till noon on Sundays."

"That's late," Kisshu said. "Koneko-chan, do you sleep late?"

"Yeah, I need at least ten hours," Ichigo said. "Cat thing."

"I usually need seven hours," Kisshu said. "Of course, lately I've been sleeping for a lot longer…."

"You need it, so don't worry about it," Pai said. He sat down at the table as Ichigo handed the plates to Sakura, who put a muffin on each.

Kisshu took a bite of his muffin, and his eyes lit up. "These are GREAT!" he said, sounding happier.

"Good," Sakura said. "Try not to eat too fast, k?"

Kisshu sighed and took another bite. By the time he was done, he looked happier than he had since he had come to Earth.

"Maybe I should make these more often," Sakura said. "They seem to cheer you up, Kisshu."

"Yup," Kisshu said happily.

**Another chapter…. Review plz!**


	4. Recovery

**Escape Part 4: Recovery**

By the time they finished breakfast, Kisshu was feeling much happier, and that relieved the others. "It's nice to see you smile, Kisshu," Ichigo said.

"Thanks," Kisshu said. "Can I see what the rest of your house looks like? I've only been in your room."

Ichigo looked at Pai, who said, "Fine, but if you start getting tired, let us know."

Kisshu just sighed and got up, then looked like he had remembered something. "Sakura, don't let Pai in your kitchen; he'll blow it up," Kisshu said. "He's a kitchen disaster."

"O-okay," Sakura said.

"How did you guys eat while you were on Earth?" Ichigo asked.

"I can cook," Kisshu said, sounding kind of embarrassed.

"That's really cool, Kisshu," Ichigo said.

"You think so?" Kisshu asked.

"Yep," Ichigo said, smiling. "Do you want me to show you the rest of the house?"

"Yeah," Kisshu said.

Ichigo gently took his hand and pulled him to the living room, watching as he looked around. "You have a TV?" he asked.

"Yeah, most people have either a TV or a computer- or both," Ichigo said.

"Lucky…." Kisshu said. "Humans have it nice."

"I suppose, but not everyone's lucky enough to have a high-paying job like my dad does," Ichigo said. "Some people are living on the streets, and others may not be on the streets, but they can barely afford food. I'm very lucky."

"Wow…." Kisshu said. "I'm getting kind of tired, can we go back upstairs?"

"Let me get Pai, he said no stairs," Ichigo said. "Why don't you sit down? You look kind of shaky."

Kisshu carefully sat down on the sofa, and Ichigo went to find Pai. She found him trying to wake Taruto up- with very little success. "Pai, Kisshu's getting tired again," Ichigo said. "Can you come get him?"

"Sure, but after that, Taruto will be doomed," Pai said.

"Simply for not waking up?" Ichigo asked, hearing a small squeak from under the blankets.

"No, for ignoring me," Pai said. "I'll go get Kisshu; are you calling Ryou today?"

"Yeah," Ichigo said. "I'll do it soon."

Pai nodded and teleported out as Ichigo headed back to her room, and got her cell phone. Pai teleported in with Kisshu, who looked sleepy. He helped Kisshu sit on the bed, and Kisshu laid back, pulling the covers up. "Koneko-chan, can you stay?" he asked sleepily.

"I have to make a phone call, but I'll be back," Ichigo said. "Can Pai stay with you till I get back?"

"You promise you'll come back?" Kisshu asked.

"Of course, I'm just going downstairs," Ichigo said. "Get some rest, I'll be back soon."

Kisshu sighed and settled back, falling asleep pretty quickly. Ichigo looked at Pai, who nodded. Then she went downstairs with her cell phone, and dialed the Café's number.

Two rings later, she heard, _"What's up, Ichigo?"_

"I made my decision," Ichigo said.

"_And?" _Ryou asked.

"I'm not coming back," Ichigo said, and waited for the explosion.

Sure enough, Ryou shouted, _"WHAT!? WHY!?"_

"I would think you'd know why," Ichigo said. "I need to be here for Kisshu. That's my priority right now, and I'm not going to change it."

"_Did they do something to you?" _Ryou asked.

"You're insane," Ichigo said dryly. "Why would they do anything to me? I'm doing this because Kisshu needs me, not because I was forced into it. Kisshu needs help, and Pai says I'm the only one who can really help him. Besides, there's no real reason for me to work there anymore; the attacks are over."

There was a click, and Ichigo knew Ryou had hung up. Sighing, she snapped her phone shut, and went back upstairs.

Pai looked up as she came in and asked softly, "How'd it go?"

"NOT well," Ichigo sighed. "I wouldn't be surprised if we have company soon."

"Can I give you the ability to use telepathy?" Pai asked. "I think it's a good idea."

Ichigo's face lit up, and she said, "I'd love that!"

"K, stay quiet," Pai said. He put a finger on her forehead, and after a moment, she felt something like a spark in her head. "Focus on me and think what you want to say," Pai said.

Ichigo concentrated, and said telepathically, _Can you hear me?_

_Yep, _Pai said. _You're all set._

_Thanks, _Ichigo said.

_So what happened with Ryou? _Pai asked.

_He's not happy that I quit, and asked if you had done something to me. I told him he was insane, _Ichigo said.

_I hope he doesn't send the others to attack, _Pai said.

_I hope not too, _Ichigo sighed.

Suddenly the doorbell rang, waking Kisshu up and putting Pai and Ichigo on edge. They heard the front door open, and then Sakura called, "Ichigo, your friend Zakuro is here!"

"Coming!" Ichigo called back, and said, "You two stay here." Pai and Kisshu nodded, and Ichigo ran downstairs.

She found Zakuro in the front hall with Sakura, and said, "Hi Zakuro, what's up?"

"Ryou sent me," Zakuro said. "He's convinced you were brainwashed by Kisshu. I wasn't so sure about that, but I said I'd come. Where is Kisshu?"

"My room," Ichigo said. "And he didn't brainwash me; he's still too weak to use his powers."

Zakuro looked a bit startled, and asked, "What happened?"

"Kisshu was put in jail for helping us when he got back to his planet," Ichigo said. "A little over a week ago, he escaped and managed to teleport here, but because he was so beat up and he hadn't eaten in two weeks, he collapsed as soon as he landed in my room. He's still recovering from that, and I don't think he's able to use his powers yet. He's also got a pretty severe case of PTSD."

Zakuro looked worried, and asked, "He has PTSD?"

"Yeah," Ichigo said. "So far the only thing that's made him smile is my mom's blueberry muffins. He and Pai are currently in my room; Pai and Taruto are sharing our guest room, but Pai's looking after Kisshu right now."

"Is it okay if I come up?" Zakuro asked.

"Sure, but please be gentle with Kisshu; he's still pretty jumpy at times," Ichigo said. "My mom said she was going to whack my dad, and that scared Kisshu. And I think the doorbell startled him too."

"Alright," Zakuro said. "Where's Taruto?"

"Last I checked, still sleeping, I guess he likes sleeping in," Ichigo said. She led Zakuro upstairs, and knocked on the closed door of her room. "Ichigo?" Pai's voice asked.

"Hai, Zakuro's here, can we come in?" Ichigo asked.

"Hai," Pai said. Ichigo opened the door, and went in, followed by Zakuro. She went to sit with Kisshu, noticing he seemed nervous, and said softly, "It's okay, she's just here to talk."

"Zakuro, does this have something to do with Ichigo's resignation?" Pai asked.

"Ryou is convinced one of you brainwashed her," Zakuro sighed. "I didn't really believe him, but he's more likely to listen to me than one of you if I tell him Ichigo's not brainwashed."

"Koneko-chan, you quit?" Kisshu asked.

"That was the phone call I was making," Ichigo said. "I don't particularly like working there, and I feel like spending time with you is more important than serving cake to people."

"Thanks," Kisshu said, sounding happy again.

Zakuro sighed and said, "I'm going to go tell Ryou that Ichigo is not brainwashed. Ichigo, contact me if he does anything, k?"

"K, thanks Zakuro," Ichigo said.

Zakuro smiled slightly and left, passing Taruto on her way out.

"So, finally decided to get up, huh Taruto?" Pai asked dryly.

"You were snoring; I didn't get any sleep last night!" Taruto said defensively.

Kisshu snickered, and asked, "Did he sound like a chainsaw again?"

"A LOUD chainsaw," Taruto grumbled.

Ichigo giggled. "Chainsaws are generally loud," she said. "Thanks, Taruto."

"Why?" Taruto asked.

"You made Kisshu snicker," Ichigo said. "He hasn't even smiled since he got here. It's nice to see him a bit happier."

Taruto looked happy, and Kisshu smiled. "Can I go downstairs for a while?" Kisshu asked.

"What do you want to do downstairs?" Pai asked.

"Watch a movie," Kisshu said. "And besides, I'm hungry again."

Pai put a hand on Kisshu's stomach and after a minute, said, "You should be able to eat something heavier than soup today, and I think dairy products are fine."

"Does that mean I can have grilled cheese?" Kisshu asked.

"Sure," Pai said. "Just don't eat too fast, or you'll get sick. You need to put on some weight; you're about twenty pounds lighter than you should be right now."

"Kisshu, you look like a stick," Taruto said.

Pai immediately whacked him as Kisshu's eyes went sad. Ichigo gently hugged Kisshu, feeling him bury his face in her shoulder as she said telepathically, _Pai, I'll handle Kisshu, you should scold Taruto elsewhere._

_Understood, _Pai said. He roughly grabbed Taruto's arm and teleported off.

Ichigo felt Kisshu's shoulders shaking, and tightened her grip as she started stroking his hair. "It's hard hearing things like that, isn't it?" she asked softly.

"Mmhm…" Kisshu mumbled into Ichigo's shoulder. He hugged her back, and Ichigo felt his tears soaking into her shirt.

"Do you still want to go downstairs?" Ichigo asked gently.

"I want to hide under the bed and never come out," Kisshu said sadly.

"It's pretty dusty down there, I don't think you really want to do that," Ichigo said.

"Can I hide under the blankets?" Kisshu asked.

"You'll suffocate," Ichigo said.

"Can we clean under the bed and then I can hide there?" Kisshu asked.

"Why do you want to hide?" Ichigo asked.

"It makes me feel safe," Kisshu said. "And if I'm hiding under the bed, I won't have to see Taruto."

Ichigo sighed. "I'll go get a broom, and inform Pai that you don't want Taruto in here," she said. She gently let Kisshu go, and got up, then left. As she got out a broom and dustpan, she called telepathically, _Pai, don't let Taruto back in my room; Kisshu's not interested in seeing him._

_Understood, _Pai said.

Ichigo took the broom and dustpan back to her room, and told Kisshu, "Stay on the bed, I'll sweep under it." Kisshu nodded, and Ichigo started sweeping the dust out from under her bed. Soon she had a pretty large pile, and she swept it into the dustpan.

"Jeez, when was the last time you cleaned?" Kisshu asked.

"Beats me; I don't usually go under my bed," Ichigo said. "Are you sure you want to hide under the bed?"

"Yes," Kisshu said. He got off the bed and climbed under it, and Ichigo sighed. She put the dust in her wastebasket, and sat on her bed.

There was a knock on her door, and Ichigo called, "Come in!"

Pai opened the door, and looked startled. "Where's Kisshu?" he asked.

"Under the bed," Ichigo sighed. "He says it makes him feel safe, and this way he won't have to see Taruto."

Pai looked worried, and asked, "Kisshu, isn't it dusty down there?"

"No, Koneko-chan cleaned," Kisshu said. "Now I have a place for the next time you say the T word."

"So why are you down there now?" Pai asked. "You're perfectly safe here; no one's going to hurt you or lock you up."

"Taruto thinks I look like a stick…." Kisshu said sadly.

"Taruto is wrong; you're just really thin," Pai said. "Don't listen to him, he's an immature 11-year-old."

"Mmph," Kisshu said.

Pai sighed. "Kisshu, get out from under the bed," he said. "You can't eat down there, you know."

"I don't really feel like eating…." Kisshu said.

"Are you not feeling well?" Pai asked.

"Except for the fact that my younger brother thinks I'm a stick, I'm feeling fine," Kisshu said.

"Kisshu, I know it's hard to hear things like that, but try not to dwell on it," Ichigo said. "It'll only make you feel worse. Can you come out? I'll make some grilled cheese. You really need to eat something."

She heard a sigh, and Kisshu crawled out from under the bed. "Grilled cheese?" he asked a bit hopefully.

Ichigo giggled and said, "Let's go downstairs, and I'll make some for you." She took his hand, and he followed her downstairs.

Two days later, Kisshu was pretty much back to full strength, but he still got tired out occasionally. He was also still very underweight, and still got depressed and anxious frequently.

Sakura had called the school and asked if they could start sending work for Kisshu to her. The school agreed, and Sakura had also told them Ichigo would be back on Monday. It was currently Friday afternoon, and Ichigo was teaching Kisshu how to play Connect Four.

"Do you have to go back to school?" Kisshu asked.

"Yes, but you'll have Mom, Pai, and Taruto for company, and I'll be back in the afternoon," Ichigo said. "I'm thinking of inviting Moe and Miwa over; is that okay?"

"It's fine with me; I would think you'd be asking your mom that question," Kisshu said.

"I just didn't want to startle you by bringing them over unexpectedly," Ichigo said.

"I'll be fine," Kisshu said.

"K," Ichigo said. "Then they can come over on Monday."

**Well, there's another chapter. In answer to a review from AterUmbra, while I appreciate the advice, I think I'll stick with just the depression and anxiety, because I'm not that good at writing Kisshu as really angry or psychotic.**

**Sorry I didn't get this out yesterday, but please review!**


	5. Moe and Miwa

**Escape Part 5:**

**Moe and Miwa**

The weekend passed by without incident, and Monday morning, Ichigo got up and went to school. Moe and Miwa were waiting at the gates like usual, and they looked happy to see Ichigo. "Hi guys," she said.

"We're so glad you're back," Moe said. "Is Kisshu going to be coming to school?"

"No," Ichigo said. "My mom's homeschooling him. He's got a pretty severe case of PTSD, and I told her that the crowds and the idiotic girls at this school wouldn't be good for him."

"PTSD? That doesn't sound good," Miwa said as they started walking into the school. "How's he doing?"

"He's pretty much recovered from teleporting here, but he's still depressed, and he gets nervous sometimes," Ichigo said. "Loud noises are hard for him to deal with, and he's very clingy to me. I wanted to ask if you'd like to come over today, though."

"Sure, we'd love to," Moe said. "Let's get to class, we can talk later."

The day went without incident; all the girls were busy moping over the lack of Aoyuck, so Ichigo, Moe, and Miwa got ignored, which was fine with them.

On the way home, Ichigo said, "Guys, I know you like telling new people that if they hurt me, they'll go down in flames, but please don't tell Kisshu that. I don't want him to be scared of you. I know he'd never intentionally hurt me. He's a lot different than he was two years ago, and it's really hard on him."

Moe and Miwa looked at Ichigo, and saw that she was serious. "We understand," Miwa said gently. "And we won't tell Kisshu that he's going to go down in flames if he hurts you. We'll trust your judgment, Ichigo."

Ichigo smiled as they reached her house. "Thanks," she said.

The girls went in, and Ichigo called, "We're back!"

"We're in the kitchen," Sakura called back. The girls took their shoes off, and went to the kitchen.

Sakura, Kisshu, Pai, and Taruto were sitting at the kitchen table, and they looked up as Ichigo, Moe, and Miwa came in. "Hi girls," Sakura said. "I've got chocolate chunk cake in the oven. It'll be out soon."

"Yay!" Ichigo said.

"Ichigo, who are your friends?" Pai asked.

"Sorry, this is Miwa, and this is Moe," Ichigo said, pointing to them. "We've known each other since we were three."

"Nice to meet you," Pai said. "I'm Pai, and this is Taruto. I think you already met Kisshu."

"Yep," Moe said. "Nice to meet you as well."

"I actually wanted to talk to both of you," Pai said.

"Why?" Miwa asked.

"You both need to train your powers, right?" Pai said.

"Yeah," Moe said.

"We decided that I'd be the one training you both," Pai said. "Does your mother know about this?"

"Not yet, we weren't really sure if we should tell her," Miwa said. "Should we?"

"Hai, but do it here," Pai said.

Moe nodded, and took out a cell phone. She dialed a number, and waited. The others watched as she said, "Hi Mom. Miwa, Ichigo, and I have something to discuss, can you come to Ichigo's? Oh, good. See you then!" Moe hung up and turned to the others. "Ten minutes or so," she said.

"Okay," Sakura said. "The cake should be cooled by then." She went to take it out of the oven, and set it on the stove.

Ten minutes later, the doorbell rang, and Moe went to get it. She came back with a woman Sakura's age, who looked like Moe, except her hair was pulled into a braid. To the others' surprise, she didn't seem startled or scared when she saw Kisshu, Pai, and Taruto. Instead, she sighed. "I had a feeling it would come to this," she said softly.

"What's going on?" Miwa asked. "Did you know we were only half-human?"

"Yes," Mrs. Yanagida said.

"So why didn't you tell us?" Moe asked.

"I didn't want to upset you, and when you were younger, would you really have understood me telling you you're only half-human?" Mrs. Yanagida asked. "When the attacks started, I didn't want to lose you, so I decided that even though you were old enough to understand, I wouldn't tell you. I suppose you all want the full story?"

"If you don't mind," Pai said.

Mrs. Yanagida sighed. "I was nineteen when I first met Moe and Miwa's father," she said. "I don't know exactly what he was doing on Earth; he never told me. And at first, I didn't realize he wasn't human; he did an excellent job of disguising himself. We got close, and started dating. Soon we were sleeping together, and that became the end of everything."

She paused, then said, "Eight months after we started dating, I discovered I was pregnant. I was nervous about telling him, but I did so, and he became nervous as well. That was when he told me he was a Cyniclon, not a human. I asked him why he would choose a human girl, and he simply said, "Because I think you're special."

She paused again, then continued, "He was called back to his planet, but before he left, he told me that he thought there might come a time when our two planets were at war. He claimed that if that happened, he would come get me and our child. He never did that."

"Why did you separate us?" Moe asked.

"I wasn't capable at the time of supporting both of you, and my best friend's first baby died of an incurable heart condition," Mrs. Yanagida said. "I told her my problem, and she said she'd take one of you in. When it became clear you two were fraternal twins, I gave her Miwa, who looked the least like me."

She sighed, then continued, "I remained single my whole life, waiting for the girls' father to return, but even when Tokyo Mew Mew started fighting the Cyniclons, he never returned. Around that time, you and Miwa started being very secretive. At first I was worried that the three who came here had gotten to you somehow, but then I saw a close-up photo of Mew Ichigo. After studying it for a while, I realized that Mew Ichigo looked just like your friend Ichigo. I decided that you had probably figured that out, and were trying to keep it from me. Since I trust you two, I never told anyone."

She sighed again, then said, "I don't know why he never contacted me or came back, but I raised the girls to the best of my ability."

"I'm sorry to ask, but do you remember their father's name?" Pai asked.

"I could never forget it," Mrs. Yanagida said a bit sadly. "His name was Tsukimori Yahiko."

Pai, Taruto, and Kisshu's jaws hit the floor. Mrs. Yanagida looked puzzled, and said, "You know him?"

Pai closed his jaw and said, "He's our leader. Yahiko-sama has been our leader for about twelve years. I imagine that's why he didn't come back for you; he was unable to leave our people."

The others all looked stunned. "I hate to say this, but we need to contact him," Pai said. "Who's coming with me?"

"We'll come," Mrs. Yanagida said, motioning to Moe and Miwa.

"I will as well," Ichigo said.

Pai nodded, and said, "Kisshu, stay with Sakura. Taruto and I will teleport them to the ship."

"Don't get arrested," Kisshu said.

"We won't," Pai said. "Taruto, you can take Moe and Miwa, I'll take Ichigo and…. uh…."

"Yume," Mrs. Yanagida said.

"Thanks," Pai said. "Ready?"

The others nodded, and Pai and Taruto teleported them to a large room with lots of screens and buttons. Pai went over to a large screen, and typed a number into the keypad next to it. The screen when from black to clear, and a few minutes later, Yahiko's face came up, looking startled. "Didn't I exile you?" he asked.

"Yes, and please don't kill me for this, but I found out something interesting about the twins," Pai said.

"Go on," Yahiko said.

"They're your daughters," Pai said.

Yahiko's jaw hit the floor. "Yume had twins?" he whispered.

"Hai," Pai said. "Yume-san is here, do you want to see her?"

"Yes," Yahiko said.

Pai moved aside, and Yume came over. "It's been a long time," she said softly.

"Too long," Yahiko said. "I am so sorry I couldn't come back for you. I suppose Pai told you I was appointed leader after being called back here?"

"Hai," Yume said. "But why did you exile Pai and Taruto? You didn't use to be like that."

"I had to find some excuse for sending them to Earth," Yahiko said. "The decision to put Kisshu in jail was not mine; it was forced upon me by the Council here, who have been very angry over Deep Blue's death. When Zen and Hiroshi told me the condition Kisshu was in by the time he reached Earth, I decided that I would find some way of sending Pai to Earth. Pai is the best healer on Cyniclonia besides his father; he had the best chance of healing Kisshu. Which reminds me, how is Kisshu doing?"

"Not well," Pai said. "Physically, he's healed and basically back to full strength. However, he has a very severe case of PTSD, and he's not doing too well with that."

"I knew sending him to jail was a mistake," Yahiko sighed. "Pai, do you remember the recessive trait in my family's bloodline?"

Pai's eyes widened, and he asked, "You're thinking you might be able to reverse the PTSD?"

"I might need some of your power, but yes," Yahiko said. "I inherited the trait. I'm coming to Earth; please let whoever needs to know know that I'm not coming to attack."

"Understood," Pai said. "We'll be waiting in the same place you came to before."

"Good, see you soon," Yahiko said, and cut the connection.

Pai sighed and said, "Let's go back; we need to explain this to Kisshu."

The others nodded, and Pai and Taruto teleported them back to Ichigo's house.

**New developments! Review plz!**


	6. Healing

**Escape Part 6:**

**Healing**

When they landed in the kitchen, Kisshu and Sakura looked up. "How'd it go?" Kisshu asked.

"Very well," Pai said. "We found out something very interesting."

"Which was…." Kisshu said.

"Yahiko-sama exiling us was simply a pretense so I could heal you," Pai said. "The Council is the problem here, not Yahiko-sama."

"Can we take them down?" Miwa asked.

"There are fifty members," Pai said dryly.

"Your point?" Moe asked.

"Never mind…." Pai said wearily. "Anyways, I have to inform Ryou that he should ignore the next ship coming."

"Why is there a ship coming?" Kisshu asked suspiciously.

"Yahiko says he's capable of healing your mind," Pai said. "You remember the bloodline trait the Tsukimori family has, right?"

"Mind healing?" Kisshu asked. "But why would Yahiko-sama do that?"

"He was forced into putting you in jail, if he could have avoided it, he would have," Pai said. "I'm going to Café Mew Mew."

"Be careful of Ryou," Ichigo said.

"I will," Pai said, and teleported out.

An hour later, the others were worried. Pai wasn't back, and they hadn't heard from him, either. "I'm going to try calling him," Ichigo said. The others just nodded, and Ichigo called telepathically, _Pai? Is something wrong?_

_Ryou tied me up, and is now yelling at me for brainwashing you, _Pai said gloomily.

_We're coming, _Ichigo said. She felt Pai cut the connection, and said, "Ryou apparently captured Pai. Moe, Miwa, let's go."

"What about us?" Taruto asked.

"Someone needs to stay here in case Yahiko comes while we're gone," Ichigo said.

Taruto and Kisshu sighed, but didn't argue. Ichigo motioned to Moe and Miwa, and they ran out the door, headed for Café Mew Mew. Suddenly Ichigo got an idea, and called telepathically, _Zakuro, are you able to hear me?_

A minute later, she heard, _Hai, did Ryou do something?_

_He captured Pai, _Ichigo said. _Moe, Miwa, and I are on our way, can you come too?_

_I'm on my way, _Zakuro said, and cut the connection.

Ichigo looked at Moe and Miwa, and said, "Zakuro's coming too; she asked me to call her if Ryou did anything."

"Good, she can keep Keiichiro busy," Moe said.

As the three girls reached Café Mew Mew, Zakuro ran up from the other direction. "I should have known it would come to this," she said grimly. "Let's go in."

Ichigo, Moe, and Miwa followed her as she tried the doors, which were locked. Ichigo and Zakuro kicked them down, and ran in, followed by Moe and Miwa. They heard muffled noises in the kitchen, and ran in, only to find Keiichiro tied up. Zakuro and Ichigo untied him, and he said, "Thanks. Ryou's in the basement."

"He's going DOWN," Zakuro snarled, and transformed as Ichigo did. Then the four girls ran to the basement. Zakuro ripped the door off its hinges, then ran in, followed by Ichigo, Moe, and Miwa.

Ryou looked up, startled, and said, "What's up?"

"What's UP!?" Zakuro snarled. "You're going to DIE, that's what's up!"

"Oh, so Pai brainwashed you too?" Ryou asked.

"Pai did NOT brainwash anyone," Ichigo snarled. "You seriously think that just because I decided I'd rather not work for a slave driver, I was brainwashed? You're out of your mind."

Zakuro took out her light whip and tied Ryou up with it, then said, "Ichigo, you and your friends should get Pai out of here."

"Understood," Ichigo said. "Moe, Miwa, let's go."

"Oh fine," Miwa said. She, Moe, and Ichigo made their way around Zakuro, who was beating Ryou to a pulp, and went to Pai, then untied him. "Pai, are you injured?" Ichigo asked.

"No, he was just screaming at me," Pai said. "You guys came before he could do anything more. What's up with Zakuro?"

"I think she and Keiichiro are together, and Ryou tying Keiichiro up caused her to snap," Ichigo said.

"Let's let her be," Pai said. "We need to go."

Ichigo nodded and called, "Zakuro, we have to go."

"Have fun," Zakuro said.

Pai sighed and teleported the girls back to Ichigo's house. They landed in the kitchen, and found the others waiting. "That was fast," Taruto commented.

"Zakuro's demolishing Blondie," Ichigo said.

"Pai, are you okay?" Kisshu asked.

"I'm fine; all he did was tie me up and scream at me until the girls came," Pai said.

"Good," Kisshu said with relief.

"You sound relieved," Pai commented.

"You're my best friend; you think I don't care?" Kisshu asked, hurt.

Pai noticed he was looking sad again, and said, "I know you care, don't worry about it."

Kisshu still looked sad, and Pai went over and sat next to him, then to the others' surprise, started rubbing Kisshu's ears. They were even more surprised when Kisshu sighed happily and started to fall asleep. When he was sound asleep, Pai gently took his hands away, then picked Kisshu up and teleported upstairs.

A few minutes later, Pai came back down, and said, "He's sleeping."

"That's good, but what just happened?" Ichigo asked.

"Rubbing Kisshu's ears will make him happy and calm," Pai said. "It's a good way to help him sleep, or calm him down, or make him happy when he's sad. He's been sad so much lately I'm not sure it would have helped, but this time it did."

"Good," Ichigo said.

Pai sighed. "It's hard seeing Kisshu so depressed all the time; I really hope Yahiko-sama can fix this," he said.

They heard teleportation in the living room, and ran in. Yahiko was standing there, and Pai and Taruto bowed.

"It's good to see you all," Yahiko said. "Where is Kisshu?"

"Upstairs, sleeping," Pai said. "He was getting sad again."

Yahiko looked worried, and turned to Mrs. Yanagida. "Yume, I should go see what I can do for Kisshu; can we catch up later?" he asked.

"Of course," Mrs. Yanagida said.

Yahiko smiled, then said, "Pai, I may need some of your power, can you come with me?"

"Hai," Pai said. "I'll show you which room." He turned to Ichigo and said, "Ichigo, I'll let you know when we're done."

"Thanks, good luck," Ichigo said.

Pai and Yahiko nodded, and left. Taruto sighed and said, "We need to be quiet; that kind of healing requires extreme concentration, and distractions can cause brain damage to the one who's being healed."

"Okay," Sakura said. "How long do you think it'll take them?"

"At least an hour, if not more," Taruto said. "From what I've heard of mind healing, it's basically rearranging the person's mind. Most healers, including Pai, can't do it. Mind healing is a genetic thing that occurs in only a very few Cyniclons. It's a specialty of the Tsukimori family, and before he was chosen as our leader, Yahiko-sama was one of the top healers at the hospital. Because he learned more about peoples' minds than most, I guess the Council decided he'd be a good leader."

"Do you think he's a good leader?" Mrs. Yanagida asked.

"I do, but since Kisshu was put in jail, and I found out the truth behind it, I've begun to wonder if he listens to the Council more than he should," Taruto said. "It's not my place to say things like that, though. If I was a teenager, I would probably be executed for saying such things."

"If you were a teenager?" Moe asked.

"Our people don't reproduce as often as humans, so the killing of children is not only illegal, it warrants the death penalty, no matter who does it," Taruto said. "When the Mews were fighting us, we weren't too thrilled to see that one of them was my age. Had Pai or Kisshu killed her, they would have died regardless of Deep Blue's wishes. Our laws are extremely strict, and although Pudding was our enemy, it didn't change the fact that she was nine."

"Why were you fighting, then?" Ichigo asked.

Taruto looked a bit sheepish, and said, "I snuck onto Pai's ship as he was leaving, and he didn't notice till we reached Earth. He let me stay because I can control plants, which is an even rarer ability than mind healing. And it has to be taught early, or it can go out of control. I started learning that ability when I was four."

"That's really young," Sakura commented.

"I just heard a car, I should let Dad know he can't shout," Ichigo said, and ran out. She found Shintaro getting out of his car, and as he looked at her, she said, "We have to be quiet; Pai and Yahiko are trying to heal Kisshu's PTSD, and Taruto said distractions could harm Kisshu. You can come join the rest of us in the living room."

"Uh… okay," Shintaro said. He followed Ichigo to the living room, and looked startled to see everyone.

"You explained that he has to be quiet?" Taruto asked Ichigo.

"Yep," Ichigo said. Suddenly her cell phone rang, and she quickly picked up. "Moshi moshi?" she said.

"_Ichigo, it's Zakuro," _Zakuro said. _"I just wanted to let you know Ryou's dead, so you don't have to worry about him."_

"That's great, thanks," Ichigo said with relief.

"_Keiichiro said there's another ship here; what's going on?" _Zakuro asked.

"Apparently Moe and Miwa's father is the leader of the Cyniclons, and he's currently here trying to heal Kisshu's PTSD," Ichigo said.

"_I'll let Keiichiro know it's nothing to worry about," _Zakuro said. _"Ja ne."_

"Ja ne," Ichigo said, and hung up. She looked at the others, and said, "Ryou's dead."

"Good riddance," Moe said.

The others nodded, and they all settled down to wait.

About two hours later, Ichigo heard Pai say telepathically, _Ichigo, come upstairs._

_Hai, _Ichigo said, and got up. "They want me upstairs," she said. "Wait down here."

The others nodded, and Ichigo ran upstairs. She went to her room, and knocked on the door. "Come in," Pai called.

Ichigo went in, and asked, "What's up?"

"We wanted to wait till you were here to wake Kisshu up," Yahiko said. "We need to see if the healing worked."

"Okay," Ichigo said.

Pai tapped Kisshu's forehead, and Kisshu stirred, then opened his eyes sleepily. "Kisshu, how are you feeling?" Pai asked.

"I feel fine," Kisshu said. "Actually, I feel better than I have in a long time."

Pai put a hand on his forehead, and sighed, relieved. "It worked," he said softly. "It really worked!"

"And… you thought it wouldn't?" Yahiko asked.

"Sorry…." Pai said a bit sheepishly.

Yahiko smiled. "It's fine," he said.

Kisshu sat up, looking puzzled, and asked, "Yahiko-sama?"

"Yes," Yahiko said. "I came back to Earth to heal you. I'm really sorry for letting the Council put you in jail, Kisshu."

"So the Council hates me, but you don't?" Kisshu asked.

"Right," Yahiko said.

Kisshu got up and bowed, saying, "Thank you for healing me, Yahiko-sama."

"Of course," Yahiko said. "I should go speak with Yume; I'll leave you three alone."

Kisshu, Pai, and Ichigo bowed as Yahiko left. "I think I'll leave too…." Pai said.

Kisshu smirked. "Too pink for you?" he snickered.

"Little green demon…." Pai muttered. Kisshu burst out laughing, and Pai teleported out as Kisshu fell over laughing.

Ichigo sat down on her bed, giggling as she watched Kisshu. When he calmed down, Ichigo said, "I'm glad to see you so happy, Kish."

"Thanks, Koneko- hey, did you just give me a nickname?" Kisshu asked hopefully.

"Yep," Ichigo said.

"YAY!" Kisshu said happily. "I love my nickname!"

Ichigo giggled. "I'm glad!" she said.

**Horrendous chapter ending, but there might be more soon! Review plz!**


	7. Arrangements

**Escape Part 7:**

**Arrangements**

When Kisshu had calmed down, he and Ichigo went downstairs. They found everyone in the living room, talking. They looked up as Kisshu and Ichigo came in, and Taruto asked, "Kisshu, how are you feeling?"

"I feel better, thanks Midget," Kisshu said, smirking.

To everyone's surprise, Taruto hugged Kisshu. "You're not whacking me for calling you a midget?" Kisshu asked.

"I thought I'd never hear that again…." Taruto said. "Believe it or not, I missed that. I missed the person you used to be before the Council decided to put you in jail for no good reason."

"Thanks, Taruto," Kisshu said.

The others watched them, smiling. Then Yahiko said, "I'm glad you're both here, because we were starting to talk about what will happen now. I knew from the start that putting Kisshu in jail was not a great idea, but after coming here, and seeing what it had done to him, I realized that listening to the Council isn't a good idea. They have become over-confident and arrogant due to their power, and while some might be able to handle dealing with them, I've decided that I can't. Having to exile Pai and Taruto in order to help Kisshu was hard for me, and I feel that the position of leader isn't really what I want to do. Therefore, I've decided to hand my power to the Council, and step down as leader of Cyniclonia."

Pai, Kisshu, and Taruto looked utterly shocked. "The Council's still upset about the Deep Blue fiasco, though," Pai said. "What if they attack Earth again?"

"I need to make it clear that what Mew Ichigo told me the first time we met is true; that Deep Blue intended to wipe us out along with the humans," Yahiko said.

"Forgive me for asking, but how exactly will that work?" Pai asked. "The only people who actually fought Deep Blue were Kisshu and Ichigo. They were the only two in Deep Blue's fortress before Ichigo killed him."

"I think I'm missing something," Yahiko said. "Why did the Council tell me Kisshu was the one who killed Deep Blue?"

"They must have misunderstood my report," Pai said. "Kisshu _fought _Deep Blue, but was killed by him. Ichigo is the one who killed Deep Blue."

"I don't know how I'm going to explain this one," Yahiko sighed. "I can't tell them I just heard it on Earth, they'll want real proof that Deep Blue didn't intend to help us."

Pai looked worried, and said, "The only people who could provide that proof are Kisshu and Ichigo."

"And it's not a good idea to bring Kisshu back to our planet," Yahiko said. "Especially not where I have to go to talk with the Council."

"I'll go," Ichigo said.

The others turned to her, startled. "I can tell the Council what happened," Ichigo said. "I'm the only one who can."

Sakura looked worried, and said, "Are you sure?"

"I'm positive," Ichigo said. "Kish can't go back; I'm the only one who has a chance of convincing the Council that Deep Blue wasn't what they thought he was."

Yahiko looked thoughtful, and said, "That would work, but would you really be okay not knowing anyone? And most of my people aren't comfortable around humans, to be honest."

"Well, we'd go with her," Moe said. "She needs someone to protect her anyways. Ichigo attracts trouble."

"Thanks, Moe," Ichigo said sarcastically.

Yahiko sighed and said, "I should take you two with me anyways; the Council wants to meet you both."

"I guess that's settled," Miwa said.

"Yahiko-sama, are you coming back to Earth to live with Yume-san, Moe, and Miwa?" Kisshu asked.

"Yes, how did you know that?" Yahiko asked.

"Kisshu is perceptive to the point of creepy," Pai said dryly. "I don't know how he does it without mind-reading."

Sakura sighed and asked, "When are you leaving?"

"As soon as possible," Yahiko said. "You girls should start packing."

"How long are we going to be gone?" Miwa asked.

"About a week," Yahiko said. "The flight itself isn't long, but I imagine the Council will be having meetings about this, so I think you should pack enough for a week."

"Alright," Ichigo said. "Should we be packing dress clothes if we're going to be meeting with the Council?"

"It's a good idea," Yahiko said.

"Okay," Ichigo said. "I'll go start." She got up and went back upstairs, followed by Kisshu.

"Koneko-chan, is this a good idea?" Kisshu asked as Ichigo started packing clothes into a suitcase.

"Yes," Ichigo said. "And besides, Moe and Miwa are more than capable of protecting me if something goes wrong. Don't worry, I'll be fine."

Kisshu sighed. "I just wish you didn't have to do this alone," he said.

"I don't mind," Ichigo said. "And it's a bad idea for you to return to Cyniclonia. You went through too much there, and it killed me to see how much you changed."

"Ichigo, why did you decide you loved me after I left?" Kisshu asked.

"I realized it during the final battle, but seeing as I didn't have a chance to say goodbye, and you were dead when I died, I never had the chance to tell you," Ichigo said. "But living two years without you was really hard, and I couldn't shake the sense that something had happened to you. I dumped Aoyuck after a week; I realized I couldn't keep seeing him when I loved you. Of course, now he's a total jerk, so it's a good thing that I dumped him."

"I'm glad you love me now," Kisshu said happily. "Can I have a kiss?"

Ichigo smiled and kissed him, feeling him kiss back passionately. She returned the passion, winding her arms around Kisshu's neck as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

They stayed that way until they heard Pai say, "Am I interrupting something?"

Kisshu and Ichigo broke apart and glared at Pai. "What do you think?" Kisshu asked irritably.

Pai sighed and said, "Yahiko-sama sent me to tell Ichigo it's time."

Ichigo closed her suitcase, and said, "Good, I'm ready. Are Moe and Miwa done packing as well?"

"They just got back," Pai said. "Let's go downstairs."

Kisshu and Ichigo followed him downstairs to the living room, and saw everyone waiting. Sakura and Shintaro came over and hugged Ichigo, and then Sakura said, "Be careful, k?"

"I will," Ichigo said. "And Moe and Miwa will be there too."

"That sentence always makes me feel better," Shintaro said. "Good luck."

"Thanks, we'll need it," Ichigo said.

"I agree," Yahiko said. "Pai, will you teleport Ichigo?"

"Hai, but I need the image," Pai said.

"Of course," Yahiko said. He put a finger on Pai's forehead until Pai said, "I see it."

Yahiko took his finger away, and Pai took Ichigo's shoulder. "Kisshu, I'll be fine," Ichigo said.

"K," Kisshu said. "See you in a week."

Ichigo smiled, and then Pai teleported her to a large room. Yahiko teleported in with Moe and Miwa soon after, and said, "Thank you, Pai."

"Of course," Pai said. "I have to go back now. I will see you all in a week."

Yahiko nodded, and Pai bowed, then teleported out. Yahiko turned to the girls and said, "I'll show you where you can put your things, but then you're on your own; I need to fly the ship. With this ship, it's about a four-hour flight."

"That's amazing," Moe said. Yahiko smiled, and led them to a large room that looked somewhat like a living room.

"There's a bathroom off of this room," Yahiko told the girls. "Due to the time difference, it'll be about noon when we arrive, just so you know."

"Thanks," Miwa said.

"Sure," Yahiko said. "I have to go fly the ship, will you be alright?"

"We'll be fine, thanks," Ichigo said. Yahiko nodded and teleported out. "What should we do now?" Ichigo asked.

"I brought some cards and Scrabble," Miwa said. "I also brought Uno cards."

"Let's play Uno," Ichigo said. Moe and Miwa smiled, and Moe started dealing out cards.

They played Uno for a while, but finally got bored. "Let's play BS!" Moe said.

"Great idea!" Ichigo and Miwa chorused. Moe started dealing out cards again, and the game started.

_**A while later: **_"Three sevens," Moe said.

Ichigo didn't buy it, and said, "BS."

Moe groaned and took the entire pile of cards. "I'm glad Kisshu's not playing," she said.

"Why?" Ichigo asked.

"Remember what Pai said about him being so perceptive it's scary?" Moe asked. "I bet he'd win every round."

"We should test that theory out," Miwa said. "Just because he can spot lies doesn't necessarily mean he can tell them."

"We can do that when we go home," Ichigo said.

Suddenly they felt the ship bump a bit, and Ichigo said, "Maybe we landed."

Miwa checked her watch. "It's been about four hours, let's wait and see," she said.

Sure enough, Yahiko teleported in and said, "We're here. I'll have someone bring your suitcases to where you'll be staying; you should come with me."

The girls got up, and Yahiko led them out of the ship. Two Cyniclons, a man and a woman, were waiting for them, and looked shocked to see Moe, Miwa, and Ichigo, though they tried to hide it as they bowed. "Yahiko-sama, welcome back," the woman said.

"Thank you, Kimi," Yahiko said. "I need to speak with the Council; will you take care of our guests?"

"Of course, but forgive me for asking, why did you bring humans back?" Kimi asked.

"Moe and Miwa are the twins," Yahiko said. "They're also my daughters, and this is their best friend, Mew Ichigo."

Kimi and the man with her were speechless, then the man said, "Um… you do realize the Council will have a fit, right?"

"They'll probably have heart failure when they hear my news," Yahiko sighed. "I need to speak with Koni, can you two take care of these three for me?"

"Hai," Kimi said. "Takashi, go get their bags."

Takashi sighed and went into the ship as Yahiko teleported off. Kimi sighed. She looked at the girls, and said, "Takashi can be a handful. So which one of you is which?"

"I'm Ichigo," Ichigo said.

"I'm Moe, and this is Miwa," Moe said.

"If you two are the twins, why were you on Earth?" Kimi asked curiously.

"Our mom is human," Moe said. "And up till yesterday, we had no clue our dad was even still alive, much less a Cyniclon."

"I suppose that means you can't use your powers?" Kimi asked.

"We can use telepathy, but that's it," Miwa said. "Ichigo can use it too."

Kimi turned to Ichigo and said, "You don't look like the pictures…."

"I'm in my human form, that's why," Ichigo explained. "Staying in Mew form takes up a lot of energy, so I can't stay that way all the time."

"Oh….." Kimi said. Then she looked at the door to the ship, and appeared to be concentrating. Finally she said, "He's coming."

Sure enough, Takashi teleported out of the ship carrying the girls' suitcases. "Seriously, did you have to scream?" he asked Kimi.

"What took you so long?" Kimi asked.

"Um… I found something interesting on the floor," Takashi said a bit uncomfortably. He held up an Uno card.

"Oops, I guess we didn't get them all cleaned up," Ichigo said.

"What is it?" Takashi asked.

"Part of a card game called Uno," Moe said. "It's fun."

"Can you teach us?" Takashi asked.

"Sure," Ichigo said. "Where should we play?"

"Let me show you where you'll be staying," Kimi said. "You three were given a room together for some reason."

"I bet it's so we can wake Ichigo up in the morning," Miwa said. "Ichigo has trouble getting up in the morning because she's half cat. Cats need lots of sleep."

"Oh…" Takashi said. "Let's go."

The others followed him off.

**Please review!**


	8. The Council

**Escape Part 8:**

**The Council**

Kimi and Takashi led the girls to a large room with two bunk beds, and Takashi put the suitcases down. "Can we learn to play Uno now?" he asked.

Ichigo smiled. "Sure," she said. Moe got the cards out, and started explaining the rules. Then they started playing. Kimi won the first round, and then the next two rounds were won by Miwa.

"How do you do it?" Takashi asked Miwa.

"Practice," Miwa said. "Uno!"

The others groaned as Miwa won again. "Can we play something else?" Kimi asked plaintively.

"Oh, fine," Miwa said- just as Yahiko teleported in. The girls, Kimi, and Takashi stood, and Yahiko asked, "Learning how to play cards?"

"It's fun," Takashi said. "Do you know these games?"

"Some of them," Yahiko said. "I came to tell you that the Council wants to meet you girls."

"Is this a 'we should change into something a bit nicer' thing?" Miwa asked.

"Might be a good idea," Yahiko said. "We'll wait outside."

"K," Ichigo said. She, Moe, and Miwa all went to their suitcases as Yahiko, Kimi and Takashi left.

The girls each picked out some clothes, and changed quickly. Ichigo was wearing a pink three-quarter-sleeved shirt with a V-neck, and a white knee-length pencil skirt, along with white flats.

Moe was wearing a green shirt with cap sleeves and a scoop neck, and a pair of black slacks, along with a pair of black ankle boots. Miwa was wearing a black skirt, and a lavender tank top with a V-neck, with black ankle boots like Moe's. They straightened each other's hair, and ran out the door.

Yahiko, Kimi, and Takashi were waiting, and Yahiko said, "You look nice."

"Thanks," Miwa said. "Where are we going?"

"Down this hall," Kimi said, and led them down the hallway. She turned left onto another hallway, and stopped at a pair of large doors half-way down. She nodded to Takashi, and he took one of the door handles, while she took the other. The two opened the doors, bowing. Yahiko went in, and the three girls followed him a bit hesitantly. The room was filled with chairs, most of which were occupied by both male and female Cyniclons, who all looked to be middle-aged or older.

Yahiko walked to a platform, and walked up the stairs to the top. He beckoned to the girls, and they followed him up, copying him as he faced the Council. Some of the members were whispering, but they stopped when Yahiko cleared his throat. Once everyone was quiet, Yahiko said, "I called you all here with news. Two days ago, I was contacted by Ikisatashi Pai, who informed me that the twins from our legend are in fact my daughters."

"I thought their mother was human!" a man said.

"She is," Yahiko said calmly. "Before I was called back here to become leader, I began dating a human woman by the name of Yanagida Yume. I felt that she was special, and while getting her pregnant was not my original intention, I feel that it worked out for the best, as the twins from our legend were born."

"Then why are there three girls?" a woman asked.

"The girl with red hair is Momomiya Ichigo, Mew Ichigo's human form," Yahiko said.

"And I suppose there's some reason why you brought her here?" an older man asked.

"Yes, but before that, I have an announcement to make," Yahiko said. "I have decided to step down as leader of Cyniclonia."

This caused a general outcry of, "WHAT!?"

Yahiko waited until everyone was quiet, and then said, "I knew from the start that putting Ikisatashi Kisshu in jail was a grave mistake. While it's true I went to Earth recently to verify Ikisatashi Pai's claim about the twins, my main reason for going was to heal Kisshu. He had a very severe case of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, which took all of my power and half of Pai's to reverse. I also learned that Kisshu was not, in fact, the one who killed Deep Blue. In fact, Deep Blue killed him, and he was revived by the power of Mew Aqua. I also learned that Deep Blue's true intention was to take the Earth for himself, and wipe out both the humans, and our people. I think, due to that, that we owe Mew Ichigo a great debt for killing him before he killed all of us."

The Council looked shocked, but also a bit suspicious. "Have you more proof then just what you have been told?" a woman asked.

"Personally, I don't, but I believe Mew Ichigo does," Yahiko said.

"Memory-searching?" the woman asked.

"Hai," Yahiko said. "Mew Ichigo, will you come here, please?"

Ichigo came over a bit hesitantly, and Yahiko said, "This won't hurt you, it's just a way of showing the others that you and I aren't lying to them."

"Okay," Ichigo said. Yahiko nodded, and put a finger on her forehead. To her surprise, an image formed in the air, like a floating movie screen.

_Kisshu walked toward Ichigo, summoning his swords. Ichigo knew she was too weak to fight him off, and could do nothing but watch. Just before he reached her, though, he teleported. She gasped as he reappeared next to Deep Blue, one sword at the alien leader's throat, the other poised to strike his heart. _

"_Bastard! Now, in the end, you plan to betray me?" Deep Blue snarled, his eyes shifting to Kisshu._

"_That's right," Kisshu said, his voice confident. "You want this planet for your own selfish desires. Take over the Earth if you wish- but I will never allow you to have Ichigo." He raised one sword. "DIE!" he shouted. _

_Just before his blade hit its target, Deep Blue stabbed Kisshu in the stomach. Ichigo watched in horror as a sad smile flickered on Kisshu's lips. "I lost," he said softly. Deep Blue threw him off the end of his sword, laughing, and Kisshu slid to a stop in front of Ichigo. _

_She gently lifted him in her arms, and he opened his eyes. "I guess… I was lucky to have this time with you, Ichigo," he said weakly. Tears started falling down Ichigo's cheeks, and Kisshu asked, "Ichigo- are you crying?"_

_Ichigo couldn't respond, and Kisshu said softly, "Ichigo- I'll teach you something good." With the last of his strength, he lifted himself up, trying, one last time, to kiss her. He whispered something, but right before their lips met, Kisshu fell back, the life leaving his body._

_More tears fell from Ichigo's eyes as she screamed, __**"KISSHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!"**_

The minute Ichigo heard that, her eyes went blank. Miwa noticed, and screamed, "STOP IT!"

Ichigo fell to her knees, staring straight ahead as tears poured down her face. Moe and Miwa ran over, and stopped Yahiko before he could wake her up. "She'll panic if she sees someone she hasn't known for a while," Miwa said. "The entire year after Kisshu left, she had nightmares, and would wake up with her eyes completely blank, sobbing. She had a sleepover with the other Mews, and if we hadn't been there, they wouldn't have been able to calm her down. Mint tried to calm her down, and Ichigo literally attacked her."

Moe knelt next to Ichigo as Yahiko backed up, and took her hand. "Ichigo, it's okay," she said softly. "Kisshu's fine, he's back home." Miwa came over and started stroking Ichigo's hair. After a few minutes, Ichigo's eyes went back to normal, and she threw herself at Moe. Moe hugged her tightly, and Miwa continued stroking her hair.

"The nightmares are going to come back, aren't they?" Ichigo asked when she had calmed down a bit.

"Maybe, but we'll be here, and now Kisshu will be too," Moe said softly.

The Council members were sort of in shock, until one of them asked, "What was it Kisshu said right before he died?"

Ichigo took a shaky breath, and said, "He said, "I love you." And then he died, and I couldn't do anything about it…."

Miwa took Ichigo's hands, and said softly, "Kisshu's fine now, okay? He's back at your house, and you can see him when we get back. Try not to get depressed again, k?"

Ichigo nodded, but she still looked sad. To everyone except Moe's surprise, Miwa kissed Ichigo's forehead. Ichigo became much calmer, and said, "Thanks…."

Miwa smiled. "That's what best friends are for."

Yahiko came over, and asked, "Ichigo, will you be okay?"

"Until I go to sleep, yes," Ichigo sighed.

"I can probably do something about that, but we still have to figure out the Council," Yahiko said. "Miwa, why did you kiss Ichigo's forehead?"

"It calms her down for some reason," Miwa said. "Moe can calm her down to a degree, but as soon as I touch her, she starts to calm down. We're not quite sure why. It's like my presence is calming for her."

"Ichigo's mom started calling Miwa over when she couldn't calm Ichigo down," Moe said.

Yahiko put a hand on Miwa's forehead, and after a minute, said, "It seems you inherited my talent for mind-healing. That trait can be used before it's been actually trained to calm people down."

"That's great!" Miwa said happily.

The Council members had been silent, but now one woman said, "I see that Deep Blue was apparently not what we thought, but did he really intend to wipe out our race?"

Ichigo sighed. "While he never actually said that, he did say that he didn't care if you all died out, as long as he got the Earth for himself," she said. "It seems to me that he brainwashed and lied to all of you, in order to get the Earth. I've been told that your race was dying; I assume you all were more than willing to help if someone told you that they would save your people."

Yahiko sighed. "We were all desperate; it wasn't hard for Deep Blue to convince us he could help. The Mew Aqua saved us all, but we still put our savior in jail. I shouldn't have listened to the people assembled here on that matter, but I did, and now I've decided that due to the aftermath of that misguided decision, I should step down, and leave the running of this planet to the Council." Facing the room again, he said, "I would like to tell the members of the Council that should they decide to attack Earth again, Tokyo Mew Mew won't be the only ones they have to deal with."

An older man in the front row sighed and said, "The Council will agree not to attack Earth on the condition that they do not attack us."

"We have no means of getting here, but I assure you that my people will not attack your home," Ichigo said.

The older man nodded, and asked, "Have we anything else to discuss?"

"Yes," Yahiko said. "I wanted to inform you all that I will be joining my daughters on Earth, and helping to train them. I don't want to take them away from their home and friends, and I am the only one capable of training Miwa's mind-healing ability." Noticing a man was about to say something, he said, "NO, I'm not reconsidering, Koni."

The man deflated, and Yahiko asked, "Is there anything else?"

"No," the older man in the front said. "We will get word out to our people, and start rearranging our government to better suit our situation."

"Very well," Yahiko said. "Do you need me here for that?"

"Hai, we need you to announce this to our people as well," the older man said.

Yahiko sighed, but said, "Alright. I will let you work out this on your own, I'm taking the girls to see if Ichigo's actually going to have nightmares from today."

The Council stood as one and bowed as Yahiko left, followed by Ichigo, Moe, and Miwa.

**Well, it didn't go exactly as planned, but at least the Council won't attack Earth. Review plz! Note: I won't be updating or responding till Sunday afternoon; I'm going to an anime convention. Thanks for understanding!**


	9. Return to Earth

**Escape Part 9:**

**Return to Earth**

Ichigo, Moe, and Miwa followed Yahiko out to the hallway. "Let's go back to your room," Yahiko told the girls. "I think I should find out if Ichigo's going to have nightmares." He chuckled a bit and said, "I don't particularly want Kisshu on my case."

"You'd have to deal with Ichigo's insane father, too," Moe said.

"All the more reason to find out soon," Yahiko said. "Let's go."

He led the girls back to the room they were sharing, and closed the door, then snapped his fingers, concentrating. "That will soundproof the room, and make sure no one distracts us," he told the girls. "Ichigo, I need you to lie down; and Moe and Miwa, you two need to stay silent."

"Okay," Moe and Miwa said. They went and sat on Moe's bed, while Ichigo lay down on hers. Yahiko put a hand on Ichigo's forehead, and she fell asleep. He kept his hand on her forehead a minute, then said, "She's going to have nightmares anytime she sleeps if I don't reverse this. Miwa, can you come sit with her? If she has a nightmare while I'm trying to heal her, I need you to calm her down."

"Okay," Miwa said. She came and sat down on the other side of the bed. Yahiko nodded, and his hand began to glow a soft green.

Fifteen minutes later, Yahiko, Moe, and Miwa were worried, because Ichigo was crying in her sleep. She wasn't making a sound, but tears were pouring down her face. "I can't seem to heal her," Yahiko said. "Maybe it's because she's human?"

"I don't think so," Moe said, then looked at Miwa. "Miwa, what is it?" she asked.

"I think the problem is the same as when she woke up from the nightmares before; the reason it's not working is because she barely knows you," Miwa said. "Her nightmares aren't normal nightmares; she had to be woken up by someone she'd known for more than a year or two, or she'd panic and attack whoever was trying to wake her up. And for some reason, if her dad was the one trying to wake her up, she'd attack him too. It got to the point where I was sleeping at her house almost every night, because I was the only one who could calm her down right away."

"That doesn't sound good," Yahiko said.

"I think being woken up by guys scares her for some reason," Moe said. "Miwa, remember the sleepover we had with the Mews?"

"Yeah, Ryou tried to wake her up, and she clawed him," Miwa said. "But when Mint tried it, she only got shoved away. Something about men must scare her."

"That's odd," Yahiko said. "But if I can't heal the nightmares, there's not much we can do."

"Moe has an idea," Miwa said.

"Yeah, can't Miwa use mind-healing?" Moe asked. "If you walked her through it, maybe she could heal the nightmares."

Yahiko looked worried, and said, "Are you sure? Mind-healing isn't easy, nor is it easy to fix mistakes."

"We have to do something," Miwa pointed out. "I don't really want to spend another year sleeping over at Ichigo's every night. I like my own bed better than Ichigo's sleeping bag. And the nightmares started to affect her mood last time. We need to do something before she goes back into depression."

Yahiko sighed. "Alright, but you have to be extremely careful, and do exactly what I tell you, or she could get brain damage," he said.

"That's fine," Miwa said.

Yahiko nodded and said, "Put your hand on her forehead." Miwa obeyed, and Yahiko said, "Try to feel where the problem is coming from. It helps to close your eyes."

Miwa closed her eyes, and concentrated. "I see the place; it looks like a black cloud inside her brain," she said.

"That doesn't sound normal; usually nightmares look like a black dot on the part of the brain they're coming from," Yahiko said.

"The cloud got bigger," Miwa said.

Yahiko put his hand over Miwa's, then said, "I think I know what the problem is, and why the nightmares cause Ichigo to have unusual reactions to being woken up. Someone implanted them into her mind, but I'm not quite sure why."

"Do you know who?" Moe asked.

"The energy signal isn't familiar to me, and that makes no sense; I know the energy signature of everyone with that ability," Yahiko said.

"Do you know Deep Blue's energy signature?" Miwa asked.

"No, but isn't he dead?" Yahiko asked.

"His human host is still alive; it's possible that some part of him is still alive too," Miwa said. "Is there a way to extract the nightmares from Ichigo's mind?"

"Yes, it's simple," Yahiko said. "Just focus on the black cloud, and imagine it disappearing. The key is concentration; you have to want the cloud to disappear more than anything else."

"K," Miwa said. She concentrated, and her hand began to glow pale green, flickering a bit, then evening out.

About ten minutes passed, and finally Miwa said, "It's gone."

Yahiko put a hand on Ichigo's forehead, then said, "Good job, Miwa. Do you think it's a bad idea for me to wake her up?"

"If the nightmares are gone, she won't mind," Miwa said.

Yahiko nodded and tapped Ichigo's forehead. Ichigo slowly opened her eyes, and sat up. "Thanks for getting rid of the nightmares," she said. Noticing the others' surprise, she said, "When they went away the first time, I knew it, even though I wasn't sleeping. It was like there was a weight on my mind, and it suddenly went away. But this time it felt like Miwa took them away; they didn't just go away on their own."

"Miwa did take them away; my powers weren't working, and she suggested it was because you don't know me very well," Yahiko said. "But these nightmares were implanted into your mind."

"I take it saving Aoyuck was a mistake?" Ichigo asked. "I don't know any other Cyniclons who would do that, so it was probably him."

"Doesn't that mean we need to go back to Earth?" Moe asked.

"We can't right away, but we can go inform Keiichiro that he should tell the others we might have problems soon," Yahiko said.

"Let's do that now," Ichigo said. "If Deep Blue appears again, they'll need all the advance warning they can get."

"Alright, follow me," Yahiko said- just as they heard banging on the door. Moe ran and opened it, and they saw Kimi outside. "You all have a call," she said breathlessly. "It's from Earth!"

"Is it in the usual room?" Yahiko asked.

"Hai," Kimi said. "Do you need me to teleport the girls?"

"Just Ichigo," Yahiko said. Kimi came over and grabbed Ichigo's shoulder, then teleported to a large room with a bunch of TV-like screens. Yahiko teleported in with Moe and Miwa, and they followed Kimi to a large screen. She pushed a button, and Keiichiro's face came up. "What happened?" Ichigo asked.

"The computers detected a strange energy response," Keiichiro replied. "It doesn't exactly seem like the ones I get from Kisshu, Pai, and Taruto, though. It's almost as if whatever is giving off the signal has no control over their power."

"We have reason to believe that Deep Blue might be making a comeback," Yahiko said. "It's not certain, but I think due to your news and what's been happening here, something's coming."

"What's happening there?" Keiichiro asked.

"Someone implanted nightmares into Ichigo's mind," Yahiko said. "Miwa got them out, but I didn't recognize the energy signal, so I'm guessing whoever it is is an enemy."

"How soon can you return?" Keiichiro asked.

"The Council wants me to speak to my people about the fact that I'm stepping down; I don't exactly know when they'll be ready," Yahiko said.

"May I speak?" Kimi asked.

"Go ahead," Yahiko said.

"Takashi and I could take the girls back, and then either stay and help out, or come back," Kimi said. "The girls don't need to stay, right?"

"Now that Ichigo's spoken to the Council, and they've agreed not to attack Earth, I think you're right," Yahiko said. "Kimi, tell Takashi that you and he will be going to Earth with the girls. I think it'll be good if you stay, but I will leave that up to your discretion."

"I'll stay," Kimi said. "And knowing Takashi, he'll stay too. I'll go prepare a ship and notify Takashi."

"Good," Yahiko said. Kimi bowed and teleported out. Yahiko turned back to Keiichiro and said, "The girls should be back in about three to six hours; can you inform whoever needs to know they're coming back sooner than I am?"

"Of course," Keiichiro said. "I'll let Mrs. Yanagida know that you'll be back later, too."

"Thank you," Yahiko said. "I'll go talk with the Council; the girls will be back soon."

"Alright, thank you," Keiichiro. The screen went black, and Yahiko said, "Let's go back to your room, and make sure you have everything packed."

"Okay," Miwa said.

Yahiko led the girls back to their room, and said, "I'll have Kimi pick you up; I need to go speak with the Council. I'll come to Earth as soon as possible."

"K," Miwa said. "See you then."

Yahiko nodded and teleported out. Ichigo, Moe, and Miwa started looking around the room, found their clothes from earlier, and packed everything up.

Kimi came in with Takashi a few minutes later, and said, "Are you all set?"

"Yup," Moe said. Kimi nodded to Takashi, who took both Moe and Miwa and teleported as Kimi took Ichigo and teleported.

They all landed in a large room, and Kimi said, "This is the main room of the ship. I'm going to be flying it, so Takashi will show you where you can stay until we reach Earth."

"K, thanks," Ichigo said. Kimi smiled and teleported off, and Takashi asked, "When we get to the room, can we play more human games?"

"Sure," Moe said. Takashi smiled and led them to a room similar to the one on the other ship. As soon as the girls put their stuff down, Takashi asked, "What are we playing today?"

"Let's play BS!" Moe said.

"I look forward to creaming you again," Ichigo snickered.

"Prepare to eat your words," Moe replied.

"What's BS?" Takashi asked.

"A card game, it's fun," Miwa said. "We'll teach you."

_**Some time later: **_ "Three sixes," Takashi said.

"BS," Moe said.

Takashi turned the cards over; he did have three sixes. "Jeez Moe, what happened to your card skills?" Miwa asked teasingly. "You're getting creamed again."

"I'm just having bad luck," Moe grumbled. "Ichigo's turn."

"Two sevens," Ichigo said. No one disputed that, and then it was Miwa's turn.

They kept going until it got boring, and then Miwa asked, "Can we play Twenty Questions?"

"Sure," Ichigo said. "Do you want to go first?"

"Yeah!" Miwa said. "I have a good one. I'm thinking of an animal."

"I don't know much about Earth animals; maybe I'll just listen," Takashi said.

"Let's just do Miwa's, and then we can teach you Scrabble," Moe said.

"I LOVE Scrabble!" Ichigo said happily. "Okay, Miwa, is your animal black?"

"Yes," Miwa said.

"Is it a mammal?" Moe asked.

"Yes," Miwa said.

"Is it some kind of cat?" Ichigo asked.

"HOW THE HELL DID YOU KNOW THAT!?" Miwa shouted.

"You know what I'm like with guessing games," Ichigo said, shrugging.

"Mmph," Miwa said. "Moe?"

"Is it a panther?" Moe asked.

"No," Miwa said.

"Is in an Iriomote Wild Cat?" Ichigo asked.

"I don't know why I bother…." Miwa muttered. "You guess everything!"

"Sorry," Ichigo said. "Let's teach Takashi to play Scrabble!"

"Actually, we should be arriving soon," Takashi said. "Apparently we're teleporting to Café Mew Mew, so we need the image to get there."

"Okay," Ichigo said.

They felt a bump a few minutes later, and then Kimi teleported in. "Ichigo, can you give us the image?" she asked.

"Sure," Ichigo said. She closed her eyes, and pictured Café Mew Mew as clearly as she could. She felt two fingers on her forehead, then Kimi and Takashi said, "I see it." They took their fingers away, and Ichigo opened her eyes, then went and got her suitcase. Takashi took Moe and Miwa by the shoulder, and Kimi took Ichigo. Then the two Cyniclons teleported to Café Mew Mew.

**Please Review!**


	10. Talking

**Escape Part 10:**

**Talking**

Kimi and Takashi landed with the girls in the main room, and found everyone waiting for them. "Welcome," Keiichiro said. He started to say something else, but was cut off when Pai asked, "Kisshu, are you okay?"

The others looked at Kisshu, who seemed to be staring at Takashi. Worried, Ichigo went to him, and gently put a hand on his cheek. "Kish, what's wrong?" she asked softly, feeling him flinch at her touch. He backed up, looking panicked, then leaped into the air and teleported.

"Can someone explain what just happened?" Taruto asked.

Takashi sighed and said, "I think he's scared of me. The first year after Deep Blue's defeat, I was working at the prison, as a guard. I was assigned to the building Kisshu was in, along with a bunch of other guys. A lot of guards enjoyed tormenting and beating Kisshu up, because they saw him as easy game without his powers. If he had been allowed to fight back, they'd be dead, but he wasn't. I didn't do it as much as some guys, but I admit that I also tormented Kisshu. I did it to fit in, but I'm not proud of what I did. After a few months I stopped, because I felt bad for Kisshu, but I guess I still left an impression."

"Why did you come here, Takashi?" Pai snarled.

"I came to help Kimi and the rest of you," Takashi said. "And I came hoping to make amends for what I did to Kisshu. I understand if you don't want me around, but those were my reasons. That, and Kimi and I are bonded."

"Kimi-oneechan doesn't look very happy, na no da," Pudding commented.

This observation was proven correct as Kimi whacked Takashi over the head and screamed, "YOU WERE TORMENTING KISSHU TOO!? DON'T YOU HAVE ANY MORALS!? IF _**YOU'RE **_MY SOULMATE, I WISH WE COULD BREAK THE BOND!"

This produced a gasp from Pai and Taruto as Kimi whacked Takashi again and teleported out. "Wow…" Taruto said. "I've never heard a girl say THAT to her soulmate."

Ichigo sighed. "Pai, where's Kish?" she asked.

Pai concentrated, then said, "He's under your bed again, and your mom is in there trying to get him out, from the looks of it."

"Can you teleport me?" Ichigo asked.

"I need to talk with Takashi, but Taruto can teleport you," Pai said.

Taruto nodded and took Ichigo's shoulder, then teleported to her room. Sakura was sitting on the floor, and looked up, startled. "Oh, hi Ichigo, hi Taruto," she said. "Kisshu's refusing to come out, and I have something in the oven. Can you two handle this?"

"Ichigo can, I have to get back," Taruto said.

"Okay," Ichigo said. She sat on the floor, then laid down on her stomach as Sakura and Taruto left. She looked under the bed, and saw Kisshu looking out at her. "Kimi was screaming at Takashi," she said, keeping her voice soft. "She said she wished she could break the bond."

Kisshu's expression changed from scared to shocked. "I've never heard a girl say that," he said.

"Takashi said he came to apologize to you," Ichigo said. "He's not here to hurt you, so can you come out now?"

"Is he going home after he apologizes?" Kisshu asked.

"He said he also came to help, but that he understands if we don't want him around," Ichigo said.

"I don't want ANYONE I knew in prison around," Kisshu said.

"He doesn't seem like a bad guy to me," Ichigo said. "We spent the trip home teaching him human card games- and laughing at him for showing us his cards."

"He didn't attack you for laughing at him?" Kisshu asked.

"No," Ichigo said. "I know you're having a hard time with this, and I'm not going to argue if you're dead set on not having Takashi around. But I think you should at least let him apologize before telling him to get off the planet."

Kisshu sighed, and climbed out from under the bed, then sat down on it. "I don't want to forgive anyone…." he said.

"No one is asking you to forgive Takashi," Ichigo said. "If it was me, I wouldn't be very likely to forgive him either."

Kisshu was about to respond when they heard teleportation, and he tensed up. Takashi appeared, and Kisshu flinched. Ichigo sighed, but before she could ask Takashi what he was doing in her room, he went down on one knee and bowed his head. "I came to apologize, Kisshu-san," he said without looking up. "I recognize that my actions towards you while you were in prison were unacceptable, and that even though I was trying to fit in, I never should have hurt you. I'm sure it was hard enough losing your freedom at a young age without the guards beating you up on a daily basis."

"Why did they do that?" Kisshu asked.

"The guards in the building you were in were told by the Council that you had killed Deep Blue, and the majority of them are jerks who thought that Deep Blue was going to save us all," Takashi said. "They didn't see that our planet is much better than Earth now, so we don't need help from anyone."

"And you?" Kisshu asked.

"I'm just an idiot," Takashi said. "And I probably deserve the fact that my soulmate now hates me. Not to mention Moe and Miwa made it very clear that if I lay a finger on you, I'll be reduced to a pile of blood and body parts."

"You'd better watch out; they didn't get to do that to Ryou, so they're probably looking for someone else," Ichigo said.

Kisshu sighed. "Do you intend to help us defeat Deep Blue?" he asked Takashi.

"That's the main reason I came to Earth," Takashi said. "I'm willing to go back to Cyniclonia, but I know Kimi wants to stay."

"You want to gain back her trust?" Kisshu asked.

Takashi looked at him, startled. "Yes, but how did you guess that?" he asked.

"It's my talent; I'm very perceptive," Kisshu said. "Pai tells me it's creepy. I know what people are thinking almost before they do."

"That sounds useful," Takashi said.

Kisshu sighed. "Fine, you can stay and try to gain Kimi's trust back, but don't expect me to forgive you," he said.

"I understand, Kisshu-san," Takashi said, and teleported out.

Ichigo looked at Kisshu, and put a hand on his shoulder. Then she got worried, because Kisshu was shaking. "Kish, are you okay?" she asked. "You're shaking."

She was startled when Kisshu grabbed her, burying his face in her shoulder as he hugged her. She hugged back tightly, feeling tears soaking into her shirt. "Can you tell me what's wrong?" Ichigo asked gently.

Kisshu mumbled something that sounded like, "Memories…."

"Memories?" Ichigo asked. "Was Takashi being here too much for you?"

Kisshu nodded into her shoulder. Suddenly teleportation sounded again, and Kisshu flinched. Pai appeared, and asked, "What happened?"

Kisshu didn't respond, and Ichigo said, "I think Takashi being here brought back bad memories for Kish."

Pai looked worried, and said, "That's not good. We discovered Deep Blue has a few followers this time, and we need all the help we can get. I have a feeling these followers aren't going to betray him the way we did."

"What should we do?" Ichigo asked.

"The only thing we can do is to keep Takashi away from Kisshu," Pai said.

"That's not going to be easy if we're fighting," Ichigo commented.

Pai sighed. "I know, but we're just going to have to do our best," he said. "As far as Keiichiro and I can tell, Deep Blue brought ten people with him. Until we know who they are, we need everyone here. I know we outnumber them, but without knowing their strengths, we need all the help we can get."

Ichigo sighed and looked back at Kisshu. "Kish, can you handle this?" she asked softly. "We need you both to fight off Deep Blue and whoever he's got with him."

"I can handle it if I don't have to see him while we're not fighting," Kisshu said.

"That's fine," Pai said. "I'll go let him and the others know. You stay here and calm down, k?"

"K," Kisshu said. Pai teleported out, and Kisshu sighed. "Koneko-chan, can I go to sleep for a while?" he asked.

"Are you feeling okay?" Ichigo asked worriedly.

"I'm just kind of tired," Kisshu said.

"Okay," Ichigo said. "Do you want me to stay?"

"Can you play with my hair?" Kisshu asked.

Ichigo climbed onto the bed next to him as he laid back, and said, "Sure." She started stroking his hair, and he fell asleep.

An hour later, Ichigo was worried. Kisshu hadn't even stirred, and he looked unhappy. She gently shook him, saying, "Kish, time to wake up." He didn't stir, and she shook him a little harder.

To her surprise, Kisshu's eyes snapped open in a panic, but before Ichigo could say anything, Kisshu shoved her, hard. Startled, she fell off the bed, and her head hit her night table, knocking her out.

When she woke up, the first thing she saw was Kisshu's face. He was kneeling next to her, looking scared. "Kish?" she asked.

"What happened?" Kisshu asked. "I woke up feeling scared, and saw you lying on the floor. And I couldn't wake you up."

Ichigo was puzzled by this, and asked, "You weren't awake when you shoved me?"

"I shoved you?" Kisshu asked.

"I tried to wake you up, but you panicked and shoved me off the bed," Ichigo said. "I think I hit my head on the night table; that's why I was unconscious."

Kisshu looked horrified. "I hurt you?" he whispered.

Before Ichigo could respond, Kisshu collapsed. Ichigo immediately sat up and put a hand on his forehead, but Kisshu didn't have a fever. She gently put a hand on his cheek, asking, "Kish, are you okay?"

Kisshu stirred, and opened his eyes. "Are you feeling okay?" Ichigo asked.

"I hurt you…." Kisshu said.

"As long as you didn't mean it, it's fine," Ichigo said softly. "I'm fine, you don't have to worry. Are you alright?"

"I feel so dizzy…." Kisshu said. "My stomach's not feeling great either."

"Do you want me to help you get to the bathroom, or should I just bring a bucket in here?" Ichigo asked.

"I don't think I can make it as far as the bathroom," Kisshu said. He swallowed hard. Ichigo got up and ran to the hall closet, grabbed a bucket, and ran back. She saw that Kisshu was trying to sit up without success, and knelt next to him, then pulled him into a sitting position and handed him the bucket.

Kisshu took the bucket as he felt his stomach start churning. He felt stuff coming up, and opened his mouth as everything in his stomach came out of his throat. Vaguely he felt Ichigo rubbing his back as everything came up.

Ichigo was worried, and decided to call Pai. Telepathically, she called, _Pai!_

_Ichigo, you and Kisshu have to be careful! _Pai said._ Someone captured all of us with sleeping gas, and I think you two are the only ones left. Moe and Miwa aren't here, but I'm not sure if they escaped._

_I'll contact them, _Ichigo said. _I think Kisshu's sick; he says he's dizzy, and now he's throwing up._

_That's BAD, _Pai said. _If Moe and Miwa have been captured, that means you'll be fighting alone; they got Keiichiro too._

_I'll contact them and get back to you, _Ichigo said. She cut the connection, noticing Kisshu had stopped throwing up. "Kish, are you feeling any better?" she asked.

"I'm not dizzy anymore," Kisshu said. "Maybe I just ate something bad?"

Ichigo put a hand on his forehead, then said, "I guess you're right. That's good, because Pai just informed me someone captured everyone. The only ones he's not sure about are Moe and Miwa. I have to contact them; stay quiet."

Kisshu nodded, and Ichigo called telepathically, _Moe! Miwa! Can you hear me?_

_Ichigo? _she heard.

_Yeah, are you okay? _Ichigo asked.

_We're fine, but the others got captured, _Miwa said. _Can Moe and I try teleporting to your house?_

_Good plan, _Ichigo said. _I have to tell Pai you two are safe; come as soon as you can._

_On it, _Miwa said, and cut the connection.

Ichigo called telepathically, _Pai!_

_Are Moe and Miwa safe? _Pai asked.

_Yes, they're coming over to my place, _Ichigo said. _And Kisshu says he feels better, so I guess it was just something he ate._

_That's good, _Pai said. _Try not to get captured._

_We'll do our best, _Ichigo said, and cut the connection.

**Interesting. Only four fighters left, with a serious hostage situation. Review to find out what happens! **


End file.
